PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $102.75 and last traded at $102.23, with a volume of 3552 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $101.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of PriceSmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 1.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $89.70 and its 200-day moving average is $90.61. The company has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.23 and a beta of 0.87.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 12.29%. PriceSmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. PriceSmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.92%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $161,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 16,911 shares in the company, valued at $1,606,545. This trade represents a 9.13 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul Kovaleski sold 896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.85, for a total value of $90,361.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,039 shares in the company, valued at $4,340,483.15. This represents a 2.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,796 shares of company stock valued at $270,866 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of PriceSmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of PriceSmart by 24.3% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 654 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its holdings in PriceSmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 3,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its position in PriceSmart by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in PriceSmart by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 2,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. 80.46% of the stock is currently 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.