37,328 Shares in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) Bought by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC purchased a new stake in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 37,328 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,279,000. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.12% of PriceSmart at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PSMT. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 536.7% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 312 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of PriceSmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of PriceSmart by 393.1% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 715 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of PriceSmart by 17,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 870 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 865 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of PriceSmart by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 381 shares in the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PriceSmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 31st.

PriceSmart Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ PSMT opened at $108.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 23.83 and a beta of 0.81. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.51 and a 12-month high of $109.19. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $99.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

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

Insider Activity at PriceSmart

In related news, Director Edgar Zurcher sold 390 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.78, for a total transaction of $40,084.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $953,695.62. This trade represents a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.21, for a total transaction of $306,630.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,329,854.31. This trade represents a 18.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,836 shares of company stock valued at $1,005,273 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 17.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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