Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 4,205 Shares of PriceSmart, Inc. $PSMT

Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its holdings in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,928 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,205 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned about 0.16% of PriceSmart worth $6,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in PriceSmart by 1.9% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in PriceSmart by 10.9% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 946 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in PriceSmart by 20.4% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in PriceSmart by 0.5% in the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 23,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,905,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in PriceSmart by 27.4% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PSMT. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of PriceSmart from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

Shares of PriceSmart stock opened at $161.10 on Monday. PriceSmart, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $98.71 and a fifty-two week high of $165.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.78 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $152.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.20.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 8th. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 12.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share.

PriceSmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 89.0%. PriceSmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.61%.

PriceSmart Company Profile

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.