PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) Position Increased by James Investment Research Inc.

James Investment Research Inc. increased its position in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 123.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,422 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,544 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $592,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Creative Planning raised its holdings in PriceSmart by 3.2% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $709,000 after buying an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in PriceSmart by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in PriceSmart by 8.4% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in PriceSmart by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 16,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,524,000 after buying an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in PriceSmart by 1.3% during the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 24,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,211,000 after buying an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 555 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.42, for a total transaction of $50,183.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,143,903.36. This trade represents a 0.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gordon H. Hanson sold 1,107 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.22, for a total value of $96,552.54. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,503.64. This trade represents a 13.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,162 shares of company stock valued at $1,930,402. 17.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com lowered PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th.

PriceSmart Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:PSMT opened at $91.14 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $92.22 and its 200-day moving average is $89.99. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.51 and a 52-week high of $99.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 1.26.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $1.24 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

PriceSmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. PriceSmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.55%.

PriceSmart Company 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.