PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) Shares Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has increased its stake in PriceSmart, Inc. by 3.7%, owning a total of 77,987 shares worth approximately $6.85 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Insider transactions revealed that directors Edgar Zurcher and Jeffrey Fisher sold 390 and 2,000 shares, respectively, marking significant reductions in their ownership of PriceSmart stock.
• Wall Street analysts recently upgraded PriceSmart's stock rating from "hold" to "buy," indicating a positive outlook for the company's future performance.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 77,987 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,748 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.25% of PriceSmart worth $6,851,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 536.7% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 312 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of PriceSmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 119.7% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 635 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 24.3% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 654 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of PriceSmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $165,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.46% of the company's stock.

PriceSmart Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ PSMT traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $107.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 217,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 226,245. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 1 year low of $80.27 and a 1 year high of $113.59. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $106.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.60 and a beta of 0.78.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Leon C. Janks sold 3,000 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.78, for a total value of $305,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 33,734 shares in the company, valued at $3,433,446.52. The trade was a 8.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 550 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.31, for a total transaction of $58,470.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,908 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,282,399.48. This represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,490 shares of company stock worth $973,382 over the last three months. Insiders own 17.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.