PriceSmart, Inc. $PSMT Shares Purchased by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) by 0.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 456,915 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,039 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 1.49% of PriceSmart worth $40,140,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in PriceSmart by 2.3% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 131,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,525,000 after purchasing an additional 3,003 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in PriceSmart by 68.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,759 shares of the company's stock worth $418,000 after buying an additional 1,928 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in PriceSmart by 19.3% during the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 10,785 shares of the company's stock worth $947,000 after buying an additional 1,742 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in PriceSmart by 522.5% during the 1st quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 113,268 shares of the company's stock worth $9,951,000 after buying an additional 95,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in PriceSmart by 7,364.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 69,050 shares of the company's stock worth $6,066,000 after buying an additional 68,125 shares during the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised PriceSmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

PSMT traded down $0.70 on Wednesday, hitting $108.78. 166,373 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 237,331. The company has a 50 day moving average of $107.22 and a 200-day moving average of $98.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 22.95 and a beta of 0.77. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 12-month low of $81.25 and a 12-month high of $114.01.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 10th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $1.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.31 billion. PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 12.46%. The firm's revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.31, for a total value of $58,470.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,908 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,282,399.48. This trade represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 17.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.