AQR Capital Management LLC Purchases 36,614 Shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 179.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,052 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,614 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.19% of PriceSmart worth $4,633,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in PriceSmart by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,424,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,671,000 after buying an additional 105,405 shares during the period. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 2,713,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,931,000 after purchasing an additional 30,045 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of PriceSmart by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,309,265 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,311,000 after purchasing an additional 35,390 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in PriceSmart by 20.4% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,085,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,175,000 after purchasing an additional 184,252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in PriceSmart by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 264,585 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,484,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

PSMT opened at $92.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.49 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $87.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.36. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 1 year low of $61.82 and a 1 year high of $93.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 10th. The company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by $0.07. PriceSmart had a return on equity of 11.89% and a net margin of 2.60%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.02 EPS. PriceSmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 4.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sherry S. Bahrambeygui sold 9,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.37, for a total transaction of $801,515.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 61,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,164,793.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other PriceSmart news, Director Sherry S. Bahrambeygui sold 2,641 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.81, for a total transaction of $237,188.21. Following the transaction, the director now owns 47,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,272,710.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sherry S. Bahrambeygui sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.37, for a total value of $801,515.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 61,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,164,793.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,904 shares of company stock worth $1,806,714 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 18.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th.

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.