Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Invests $261,000 in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,831 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in PriceSmart during the 4th quarter valued at $280,000. James Investment Research Inc. increased its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 123.1% during the fourth quarter. James Investment Research Inc. now owns 6,422 shares of the company's stock valued at $592,000 after buying an additional 3,544 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 23,857 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,844 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in PriceSmart by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 128,191 shares of the company's stock worth $11,815,000 after acquiring an additional 2,831 shares during the period. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in PriceSmart by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,064 shares of the company's stock worth $928,000 after acquiring an additional 1,064 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.46% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.21, for a total transaction of $306,630.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,011 shares in the company, valued at $1,329,854.31. The trade was a 18.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Paul Kovaleski sold 896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.85, for a total value of $90,361.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 43,039 shares in the company, valued at $4,340,483.15. This represents a 2.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,836 shares of company stock worth $1,005,273. Corporate insiders own 17.10% of the company's stock.

PriceSmart Stock Down 2.3%

PriceSmart stock traded down $2.45 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $103.76. 169,141 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 193,974. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.69 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a fifty day moving average of $101.75 and a 200 day moving average of $94.06. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.65 and a 12-month high of $109.84.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) last issued 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). PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 2.81%. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PriceSmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 31st.

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.