Foster & Motley Inc. Acquires 5,315 Shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

Foster & Motley Inc. increased its stake in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) by 40.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,299 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,315 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc. owned 0.06% of PriceSmart worth $1,687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in PriceSmart by 39.6% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 30,423 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,470,000 after buying an additional 8,633 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 94.2% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 8,385 shares of the company's stock worth $681,000 after acquiring an additional 4,067 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in PriceSmart by 179.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 57,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,633,000 after acquiring an additional 36,614 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in PriceSmart by 10.8% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 84,846 shares of the company's stock worth $6,889,000 after acquiring an additional 8,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 2.8% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 13,600 shares of the company's stock worth $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 365 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 upgraded shares of PriceSmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday.

PriceSmart Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ PSMT traded down $0.87 during trading on Monday, reaching $90.11. The company had a trading volume of 106,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 242,424. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 12-month low of $74.74 and a 12-month high of $99.23. 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 business's 50-day moving average is $91.75 and its 200 day moving average is $89.67. The stock has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.85 and a beta of 0.85.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 for 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Michael Mccleary sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.62, for a total transaction of $358,480.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 62,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,569,076.42. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David R. Price sold 2,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.24, for a total transaction of $253,660.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 48,844 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,505,370.56. The trade was a 5.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 29,725 shares of company stock worth $2,685,625 in the last three months. Insiders own 17.10% of the company's stock.

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.