Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Increases Stake in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 393.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 715 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 570 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $65,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in PriceSmart in the 4th quarter worth $53,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 3,905.9% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 681 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in PriceSmart by 17,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 865 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

PriceSmart stock opened at $88.82 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $90.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $90.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.56 and a beta of 0.84. PriceSmart, Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.51 and a twelve month high of $99.23.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.22). PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.29% and a net margin of 2.76%. The company had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.24 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. PriceSmart’s payout ratio is presently 27.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.42, for a total value of $50,183.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 79,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,143,903.36. This trade represents a 0.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $161,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 16,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,606,545. The trade was a 9.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,162 shares of company stock worth $1,930,402 over the last three months. 17.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th.

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.