SG Americas Securities LLC Boosts Stock Position in PriceSmart, Inc. $PSMT

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 375.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,795 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,580 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $3,005,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 124.2% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 668 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in PriceSmart by 4.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,917 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,310,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in PriceSmart by 41.7% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 182,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,069,000 after acquiring an additional 53,874 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in PriceSmart by 12.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 70,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,206,000 after acquiring an additional 7,717 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in PriceSmart by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 18,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,640,000 after acquiring an additional 4,806 shares during the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO John D. Hildebrandt sold 10,000 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.10, for a total value of $1,151,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 115,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,307,286.50. The trade was a 7.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Paul Kovaleski sold 1,305 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.55, for a total value of $149,487.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,938,135.95. The trade was a 2.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 12,156 shares of company stock valued at $1,400,429 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 17.00% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart Trading Up 0.9%

PSMT stock opened at $135.64 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company has a market cap of $4.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.68 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $116.83. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52 week low of $81.25 and a 52 week high of $138.50.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.01. PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.20% and a net margin of 2.79%.The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on PSMT shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of PriceSmart in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Buy”.

About PriceSmart

PriceSmart, Inc (NASDAQ: PSMT) is a U.S.-based retailer specializing in membership warehouse clubs. Founded in 1993, the company operates under a business model that offers bulk quantities of goods at discounted prices to individuals and businesses that purchase annual memberships. PriceSmart’s value proposition centers on low-cost operations, high-volume purchasing, and a no-frills shopping environment designed to pass savings directly to its members.

The company’s product assortment covers a broad range of merchandise categories, including groceries and fresh produce, household essentials, electronics, appliances, office supplies, furniture, and health and beauty items.