Vanguard Group Inc. Has $315.51 Million Stock Position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,423,104 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,156 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.16% of PriceSmart worth $315,507,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in PriceSmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $507,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 37,861 shares of the company's stock worth $3,490,000 after buying an additional 4,175 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,230,696 shares of the company's stock worth $113,434,000 after buying an additional 48,108 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in PriceSmart by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 78,572 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,242,000 after buying an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in PriceSmart in the fourth quarter valued at $171,000. Institutional investors own 80.46% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at PriceSmart

In related news, CFO Michael Mccleary sold 4,000 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.67, for a total value of $358,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 58,141 shares in the company, valued at $5,213,503.47. This trade represents a 6.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO John D. Hildebrandt sold 8,020 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.51, for a total transaction of $725,890.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 123,547 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,182,238.97. The trade was a 6.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,162 shares of company stock worth $1,930,402. 17.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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PriceSmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PSMT traded down $1.68 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $82.12. The stock had a trading volume of 381,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 181,279. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.09 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.43. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.51 and a 52 week high of $99.23. The business's 50-day moving average price is $88.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $89.99.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.22). The business had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.24 billion. PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 12.29%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.24 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

PriceSmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 was Tuesday, February 18th. PriceSmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.