PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) Hits New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• PriceSmart shares reached a new 52-week high of $114.01 during trading, reflecting a significant increase in stock performance, closing at $112.87.
• Wall Street Zen upgraded PriceSmart shares from a "hold" to a "buy" rating, indicating growing investor confidence in the company's prospects.
• Recent earnings showed revenue growth of 7.1% year-over-year, despite missing EPS expectations by $0.02, highlighting ongoing operational strength.

PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $114.01 and last traded at $112.87, with a volume of 29733 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $112.25.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

PriceSmart Trading Down 1.2%

The firm has a market cap of $3.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.38 and a beta of 0.77. 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's fifty day moving average is $107.19 and its 200-day moving average is $98.87.

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

Insider Activity at PriceSmart

In related news, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 550 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.31, for a total transaction of $58,470.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,908 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,282,399.48. This trade represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 17.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 2.3% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 131,194 shares of the company's stock worth $11,525,000 after acquiring an additional 3,003 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 68.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,759 shares of the company's stock worth $418,000 after buying an additional 1,928 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in PriceSmart by 19.3% in the first quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 10,785 shares of the company's stock worth $947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,742 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in PriceSmart by 522.5% during the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 113,268 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,951,000 after acquiring an additional 95,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in PriceSmart by 7,364.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 69,050 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,066,000 after acquiring an additional 68,125 shares during the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About PriceSmart

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.

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