Overland Park, Kan.-Compass Minerals reported that sulfate of potash sales volumes almost doubled during the second quarter (80,000 st) ending June 30, compared to the year-ago (41,000 st). As a result, the company continues to expect full-year sales to exceed 300,000 st. SOP pricing was down, with an average of $519/st during the second quarter versus the year-ago $944/st. Second-quarter SOP operating earnings were $14.9 million on sales of $41.6 million, versus the year-ago $25 million on sales of $38.4 million. Six-month SOP earnings were $31.9 million on sales of $94.1 million, versus the year-ago $51.8 million on sales of $76.6 million. Some 182,000 st ($516/st) were sold in the first half, versus the year-ago 78,000 st ($980/st). Company-wide, Compass reported net earnings of $11.3 million ($.34 per diluted share) on sales of $179 million, down from the year-ago $14.1 million ($.42 per share) on sales of $159.5 million. Six-month earnings were $70.2 million ($2.10 per share) on sales of $536.6 million, down from the year-ago $75.7 million ($2.27 per share) on sales of $468.6 million.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain