PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) Shares Purchased 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 grew its position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 77,987 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,748 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.25% of PriceSmart worth $6,851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PSMT. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 536.7% during the fourth 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 purchased a new stake in shares of PriceSmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 119.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 635 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 24.3% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 654 shares of the company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of PriceSmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $165,000. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PriceSmart Price Performance

NASDAQ:PSMT traded down $0.90 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $107.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 88,281 shares, compared to its average volume of 242,288. The business's 50-day moving average is $106.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.69. The company has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a PE ratio of 22.65 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.28. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52-week low of $80.27 and a 52-week high of $113.59.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at PriceSmart

In related news, Director Leon C. Janks sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.78, for a total transaction of $305,340.00. Following the sale, the director owned 33,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,433,446.52. This trade represents a 8.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Edgar Zurcher sold 390 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.78, for a total value of $40,084.20. Following the sale, the director directly owned 9,279 shares in the company, valued at approximately $953,695.62. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,490 shares of company stock worth $973,382. Corporate 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.