Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes $6.94 Million Position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 75,239 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,935,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.25% of PriceSmart as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in PriceSmart by 536.7% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PriceSmart in the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in PriceSmart by 393.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 715 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in PriceSmart by 17,300.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 870 shares of the company's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in PriceSmart by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 381 shares during the period. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at PriceSmart

In related news, Director Edgar Zurcher sold 390 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.78, for a total transaction of $40,084.20. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,279 shares in the company, valued at $953,695.62. This trade represents a 4.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 550 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.74, for a total value of $54,857.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 78,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,825,400.92. This trade represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,836 shares of company stock valued at $1,005,273. 17.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

PriceSmart Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:PSMT traded down $0.73 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $106.15. The stock had a trading volume of 131,813 shares, compared to its average volume of 192,991. PriceSmart, Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.51 and a twelve month high of $109.19. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $92.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a PE ratio of 23.38 and a beta of 0.75.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 12.29%. PriceSmart's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.31 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

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.