Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $185.50 Million Holdings in PriceSmart, Inc. $PSMT

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP trimmed its PriceSmart stake by 2.2% in the first quarter, but still held 1.23 million shares worth about $185.5 million, or roughly 3.99% of the company.
• PriceSmart’s latest quarter showed revenue growth of 12.5% year over year to $1.48 billion, though EPS missed expectations at $1.28 versus the $1.32 consensus.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 80.46%, while insider selling was modest; the stock was trading near $186 and has hovered close to its 52-week high of $199.84.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,232,619 shares of the company's stock after selling 28,041 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 3.99% of PriceSmart worth $185,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Progeny 3 Inc. purchased a new position in PriceSmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,825,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 54.7% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 551,566 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,936,000 after purchasing an additional 194,980 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 821.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 217,000 shares of the company's stock worth $26,619,000 after buying an additional 193,446 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 5,150.6% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 114,936 shares of the company's stock worth $13,929,000 after buying an additional 112,747 shares during the period. Finally, E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB grew its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 539.9% during the first quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 131,990 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,864,000 after buying an additional 111,362 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.46% of the company's stock.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

PSMT stock opened at $186.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.75 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $181.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.07. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52 week low of $104.65 and a 52 week high of $199.84.

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

Insider Activity at PriceSmart

In other news, Director Beatriz V. Infante sold 800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.98, for a total value of $156,784.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,210 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,196,935.80. This represents a 6.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Edgar Zurcher sold 2,259 shares of the 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 sale, the director owned 8,151 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,032 shares of company stock worth $660,982. Corporate insiders own 17.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered PriceSmart from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy".

PriceSmart Profile

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.

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