PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) Shares Bought by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE raised its position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,614 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 22.8% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 16,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,524,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP lifted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 24,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,211,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 53,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,873,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Michael Mccleary sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.67, for a total value of $358,680.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 58,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,213,503.47. This trade represents a 6.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 555 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.42, for a total transaction of $50,183.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,143,903.36. This trade represents a 0.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,162 shares of company stock valued at $1,930,402 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

Shares of PSMT opened at $82.40 on Friday. 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 50-day simple moving average of $90.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.45. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.51 and a 52-week high of $99.23. The company has a market capitalization of $2.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.15 and a beta of 0.84.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 12.29%. The business had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Announces Dividend

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

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.