PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Monday morning.

PriceSmart Trading Down 2.9 %

NASDAQ:PSMT opened at $83.45 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38 and a beta of 0.84. PriceSmart has a 52 week low of $77.51 and a 52 week high of $99.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $90.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.50.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.24 billion. PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 12.29%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.24 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that PriceSmart will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, COO John D. Hildebrandt sold 8,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.51, for a total value of $725,890.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 123,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,182,238.97. This trade represents a 6.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $161,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 16,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,606,545. This trade represents a 9.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,162 shares of company stock valued at $1,930,402 in the last three months. Company insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PSMT. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in PriceSmart by 536.7% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in PriceSmart in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in PriceSmart by 3,905.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in PriceSmart by 393.1% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in PriceSmart by 17,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the period. 80.46% of the stock is owned by 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.