PriceSmart, Inc. $PSMT Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its holdings in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 2.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 787,535 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,364 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $95,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,401,706 shares of the company’s stock worth $147,236,000 after purchasing an additional 100,785 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in PriceSmart by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,258,234 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,489,000 after buying an additional 10,537 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in PriceSmart by 2.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,045,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $109,872,000 after buying an additional 24,512 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in PriceSmart by 1.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 740,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,812,000 after buying an additional 13,119 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in PriceSmart by 37.0% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 651,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,955,000 after buying an additional 175,806 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of PSMT opened at $148.84 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $144.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.33. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 1 year low of $81.25 and a 1 year high of $158.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.38 and a beta of 0.73.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.79% and a return on equity of 12.20%. The firm had revenue of $1.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 89.0%. PriceSmart’s payout ratio is 28.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PSMT shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of PriceSmart from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy”.

Insider Buying and Selling at PriceSmart

In other news, EVP Paul Kovaleski sold 4,255 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.86, for a total value of $582,339.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 38,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,317,558.44. This trade represents a 9.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Leon C. Janks sold 3,000 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.29, for a total value of $411,870.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 30,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,219,470.86. This trade represents a 8.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 16,671 shares of company stock worth $2,283,051. 17.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.