PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) Trading Up 3.1%

PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)’s share price rose 3.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $80.72 and last traded at $80.61. Approximately 34,409 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 153,364 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.20.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of PriceSmart from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded PriceSmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $81.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.65 and a beta of 0.92.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 10th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.07. PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.62% and a return on equity of 11.85%. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. PriceSmart’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 4.38 earnings per share for the current year.

PriceSmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a None dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th will be given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 18th. PriceSmart’s payout ratio is 29.15%.

Insider Transactions at PriceSmart

In related news, Director Edgar Zurcher sold 1,075 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.08, for a total value of $85,011.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $697,643.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Edgar Zurcher sold 1,075 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.08, for a total transaction of $85,011.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $697,643.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gordon H. Hanson sold 937 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.86, for a total transaction of $74,828.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at $636,404.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 18.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PriceSmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in PriceSmart by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,319,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,533,000 after acquiring an additional 141,920 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,592,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $185,281,000 after purchasing an additional 148,758 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,261,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,631,000 after buying an additional 60,673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 998,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,939,000 after buying an additional 6,772 shares during the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About PriceSmart

PriceSmart, Inc owns and operates U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, and Colombia. The company provides basic and private label consumer products under the Member's Selection brand, including groceries, cleaning supplies, health and beauty aids, meat, produce, deli, seafood, and poultry.