Renaissance Technologies LLC Sells 23,365 Shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

Renaissance Technologies LLC decreased its holdings in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) by 34.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,300 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,365 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.15% of PriceSmart worth $4,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its position in PriceSmart by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 3,036 shares of the company's stock worth $280,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,614 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of PriceSmart by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in PriceSmart by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,383 shares of the company's stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atria Investments Inc lifted its position in PriceSmart by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 2,488 shares of the company's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. 80.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at PriceSmart

In related news, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 1,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $161,500.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,911 shares in the company, valued at $1,606,545. This represents a 9.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO John D. Hildebrandt sold 580 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.40, for a total value of $53,592.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,279.20. This trade represents a 40.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,480 shares of company stock worth $699,096. Insiders own 17.10% of the company's stock.

PriceSmart Price Performance

Shares of PriceSmart stock traded down $1.63 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $100.08. 205,859 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 184,443. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.03 and a beta of 0.87. 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's fifty day moving average price is $88.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $90.25. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.51 and a 12 month high of $102.47.

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

PriceSmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. PriceSmart's payout ratio is presently 26.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of PriceSmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th.

PriceSmart 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.