Copeland Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) by 25.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 782,353 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 160,656 shares during the period. PriceSmart comprises about 1.4% of Copeland Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned 2.54% of PriceSmart worth $68,730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 128,191 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,815,000 after purchasing an additional 2,831 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 17,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 870 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 28,129 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,593,000 after purchasing an additional 3,342 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,614 shares of the company's stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 393.1% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 715 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.46% of the company's stock.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PSMT traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $106.35. 509,424 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 198,105. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $104.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.71. PriceSmart, Inc. has a one year low of $77.65 and a one year high of $109.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $3.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.72 and a beta of 0.81.

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). The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 2.81%. The business's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered PriceSmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday.

Insider Transactions at PriceSmart

In related news, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 550 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.74, for a total value of $54,857.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 78,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,825,400.92. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.21, for a total value of $306,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 13,011 shares in the company, valued at $1,329,854.31. This represents a 18.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,836 shares of company stock valued at $1,005,273 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 17.10% of the company's stock.

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.