PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

PriceSmart Trading Down 4.5 %

PSMT opened at $89.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.53 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $91.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.76. PriceSmart has a 12 month low of $74.74 and a 12 month high of $99.23.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by ($0.22). PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.63% and a net margin of 2.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that PriceSmart will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at PriceSmart

In other news, EVP David R. Price sold 2,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.24, for a total transaction of $253,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 48,844 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,505,370.56. The trade was a 5.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 5,478 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.83, for a total transaction of $497,566.74. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,966,106.18. The trade was a 20.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,463 shares of company stock valued at $1,400,727. Insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PriceSmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. TD Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of PriceSmart by 6.3% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 27,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,201,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in PriceSmart by 2.3% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $592,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 1.6% in the second quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 22,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,808,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of PriceSmart by 28.3% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 2,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 20.4% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,085,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,175,000 after acquiring an additional 184,252 shares during the period. 80.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PriceSmart Company 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.