Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New $2.19 Million Investment in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 23,791 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,193,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.08% of PriceSmart at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fred Alger Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 39.0% during the 4th quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 6,435 shares of the company's stock worth $593,000 after purchasing an additional 1,805 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 22,007 shares of the company's stock worth $2,028,000 after purchasing an additional 7,040 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 8,731 shares of the company's stock worth $805,000 after acquiring an additional 1,593 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PriceSmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,111,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 30.7% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 46,608 shares of the company's stock worth $4,296,000 after acquiring an additional 10,957 shares during the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of PriceSmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th.

PriceSmart Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of PSMT traded up $1.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $104.71. The company had a trading volume of 177,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 190,121. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $92.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.51 and a 1-year high of $108.01. The stock has a market cap of $3.22 billion, a PE ratio of 23.06 and a beta of 0.75.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.36 billion for 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%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

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