LSV Asset Management Reduces Stock Position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

LSV Asset Management cut its position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 223,652 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,626 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $20,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in PriceSmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $591,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 287,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,484,000 after acquiring an additional 10,103 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,383 shares of the company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 46.6% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 8,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $751,000 after purchasing an additional 2,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in PriceSmart by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,204,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,025,000 after purchasing an additional 21,827 shares during the period. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 1,700 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $161,500.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,606,545. This trade represents a 9.13 % 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, COO John D. Hildebrandt sold 580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.40, for a total transaction of $53,592.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,279.20. The trade was a 40.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,162 shares of company stock worth $1,930,402 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of PSMT stock opened at $91.74 on Friday. PriceSmart, Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.51 and a twelve month high of $99.23. The stock has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.21 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $87.97 and a 200 day moving average of $89.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.06). PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 12.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.34 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. PriceSmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

PriceSmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. PriceSmart’s payout ratio is currently 26.92%.

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.