PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Buy" Rating

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

PriceSmart Stock Down 1.1%

PSMT traded down $1.18 during trading on Friday, reaching $104.24. The company had a trading volume of 219,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 199,851. The company has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.27 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.46. PriceSmart has a 12 month low of $77.65 and a 12 month high of $109.84. The business's fifty day moving average price is $104.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.28.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 2.81%. PriceSmart's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that PriceSmart will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at PriceSmart

In other news, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total transaction of $208,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,145,144. This trade represents a 15.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul Kovaleski sold 896 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.85, for a total transaction of $90,361.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,039 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,340,483.15. The trade was 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 valued at $1,005,273. 17.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PriceSmart

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in PriceSmart during the first quarter worth about $36,685,000. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 4,690.8% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 297,655 shares of the company's stock worth $27,344,000 after buying an additional 291,442 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 70,410.0% during the 4th quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 282,040 shares of the company's stock worth $25,996,000 after buying an additional 281,640 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in PriceSmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $19,078,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in PriceSmart by 670.4% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 231,949 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,380,000 after buying an additional 201,841 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.46% 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.