PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) Shares Sold by AlphaQuest LLC

AlphaQuest LLC lessened its position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 97.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 344 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,665 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $32,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 3,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 185.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 12,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,182,000 after acquiring an additional 8,217 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 157.1% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,098 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 1,893 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PriceSmart in the 4th quarter worth about $591,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 2,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at PriceSmart

In other news, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $161,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 16,911 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,606,545. This trade represents a 9.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gordon H. Hanson sold 1,107 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.22, for a total transaction of $96,552.54. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $598,503.64. This trade represents a 13.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,162 shares of company stock worth $1,930,402 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

Shares of PSMT opened at $83.71 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $89.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.57 billion, a PE ratio of 18.44 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.51 and a 52-week high of $99.23.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.24 billion. PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 12.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.24 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of PriceSmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th.

PriceSmart Profile

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.