Aubrey Capital Management Ltd Takes $2 Million Position in PriceSmart, Inc. $PSMT

Aubrey Capital Management Ltd purchased a new stake in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 13,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 2.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,045,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,872,000 after acquiring an additional 24,512 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 763,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,640,000 after purchasing an additional 7,095 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in PriceSmart by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 624,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,742,000 after purchasing an additional 73,419 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in PriceSmart by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 495,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,820,000 after purchasing an additional 8,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pertento Partners LLP boosted its position in PriceSmart by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Pertento Partners LLP now owns 488,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,910,000 after buying an additional 71,879 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at PriceSmart

In other news, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 338 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.56, for a total value of $53,593.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,996,491.04. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Edgar Zurcher sold 2,259 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.17, for a total value of $350,529.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at $1,264,790.67. This represents a 21.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 4,032 shares of company stock worth $660,982 over the last quarter. 17.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

PriceSmart Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ PSMT opened at $194.56 on Wednesday. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 1 year low of $103.84 and a 1 year high of $199.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $177.12 and its 200-day moving average is $157.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.00 billion, a PE ratio of 37.34 and a beta of 0.76.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 8th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.04). PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.16% and a net margin of 2.82%.The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded PriceSmart from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

About PriceSmart

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.