PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) EVP Francisco Velasco Sells 338 Shares of Stock

PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) EVP Francisco Velasco sold 338 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.56, for a total value of $53,593.28. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,996,491.04. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

PriceSmart Price Performance

PSMT traded up $3.64 during trading on Monday, hitting $162.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 182,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 231,663. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. PriceSmart, Inc. has a twelve month low of $99.98 and a twelve month high of $165.46. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $153.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.13 and a beta of 0.77.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.05. PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.23% and a net margin of 2.82%.The company had revenue of $1.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. PriceSmart’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of PriceSmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy”.

Institutional Trading of PriceSmart

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in shares of PriceSmart by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 3,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of PriceSmart by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of PriceSmart by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $607,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of PriceSmart by 10.9% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of PriceSmart by 15.1% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

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.