PriceSmart, Inc. $PSMT Shares Purchased by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 53,647 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,095 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $6,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,401,706 shares of the company’s stock worth $147,236,000 after purchasing an additional 100,785 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in PriceSmart by 2.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,045,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $109,872,000 after buying an additional 24,512 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in PriceSmart by 1.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 740,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,812,000 after buying an additional 13,119 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in PriceSmart by 54.7% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 551,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,936,000 after buying an additional 194,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pertento Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of PriceSmart in the second quarter worth about $42,224,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at PriceSmart

In other news, EVP Paul Kovaleski sold 4,255 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.86, for a total transaction of $582,339.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 38,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,317,558.44. The trade was a 9.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO John D. Hildebrandt sold 7,421 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.88, for a total value of $1,015,786.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 108,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,809,594.72. This trade represents a 6.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,827 shares of company stock valued at $3,683,481. 17.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PSMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut PriceSmart from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

PriceSmart Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of PriceSmart stock opened at $145.81 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. PriceSmart, Inc. has a twelve month low of $81.25 and a twelve month high of $148.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a PE ratio of 29.76 and a beta of 0.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $126.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.47.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.36 billion. PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.20% and a net margin of 2.79%.PriceSmart’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Company Profile

PriceSmart, Inc (NASDAQ: PSMT) is a U.S.-based retailer specializing in membership warehouse clubs. Founded in 1993, the company operates under a business model that offers bulk quantities of goods at discounted prices to individuals and businesses that purchase annual memberships. PriceSmart’s value proposition centers on low-cost operations, high-volume purchasing, and a no-frills shopping environment designed to pass savings directly to its members.

The company’s product assortment covers a broad range of merchandise categories, including groceries and fresh produce, household essentials, electronics, appliances, office supplies, furniture, and health and beauty items.