PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average of $79.79

PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)’s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $79.79 and traded as high as $80.30. PriceSmart shares last traded at $79.39, with a volume of 108,970 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of PriceSmart from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th.

PriceSmart Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $82.53 and its 200-day moving average is $79.79. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.95 and a beta of 0.86.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 10th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.28 billion. PriceSmart had a return on equity of 11.85% and a net margin of 2.62%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a None dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 19th were issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 18th. PriceSmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.15%.

Insider Activity at PriceSmart

In other PriceSmart news, Director Edgar Zurcher sold 1,075 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 12th. The shares were 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 $697,643.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Gordon H. Hanson sold 937 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.86, for a total value of $74,828.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $636,404.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Edgar Zurcher sold 1,075 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now owns 8,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $697,643.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 27,200 shares of company stock valued at $2,260,293. 18.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PriceSmart

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 20.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,208 shares of the company’s stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 2,237 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in PriceSmart by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 392,529 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,216,000 after purchasing an additional 11,470 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in PriceSmart by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 83,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,211,000 after buying an additional 2,614 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of PriceSmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $377,000. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 5.1% in the third quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 4,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. 80.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.