PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) Director Sells $350,529.03 in Stock

PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) Director Edgar Zurcher sold 2,259 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.17, for a total transaction of $350,529.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at $1,264,790.67. This trade represents a 21.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

PriceSmart Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of PriceSmart stock traded up $1.86 on Tuesday, reaching $154.97. The company had a trading volume of 92,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 230,819. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.29. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52-week low of $99.14 and a 52-week high of $165.46. The firm has a market cap of $4.79 billion, a PE ratio of 30.59 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $152.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.16.

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

PriceSmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a yield of 89.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. PriceSmart’s dividend payout ratio is 27.61%.

Institutional Trading of PriceSmart

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aubrey Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in PriceSmart in the 1st quarter valued at $2,002,000. Calamos Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PriceSmart in the 1st quarter worth $4,165,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 5,913.3% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 28,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,362,000 after acquiring an additional 28,502 shares during the period. Abel Hall LLC lifted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 3,613 shares of the company’s stock worth $544,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046 shares during the period. Finally, Praxis Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PriceSmart in the 1st quarter worth $233,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of PriceSmart from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, PriceSmart currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

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.