Mariner LLC Raises Holdings in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

Mariner LLC grew its holdings in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,636 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Mariner LLC’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PSMT. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,230,696 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,434,000 after acquiring an additional 48,108 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,204,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,025,000 after purchasing an additional 21,827 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of PriceSmart by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 692,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,874,000 after purchasing an additional 7,994 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 621,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,302,000 after purchasing an additional 140,515 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 453,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,834,000 after buying an additional 15,359 shares during the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PSMT opened at $100.99 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 1.26. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.51 and a 52-week high of $102.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 22.24 and a beta of 0.75.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 9th. The company reported $1.45 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.29% and a net margin of 2.76%. PriceSmart’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. Analysts forecast that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

PriceSmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. PriceSmart’s payout ratio is presently 26.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at PriceSmart

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

PriceSmart 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.