GAMMA Investing LLC Boosts Stock Position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 7,364.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,050 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 68,125 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.23% of PriceSmart worth $6,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in PriceSmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $261,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of PriceSmart in the 4th quarter worth $6,935,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PriceSmart in the 4th quarter worth $2,193,000. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of PriceSmart in the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of PriceSmart by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 62,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,800,000 after acquiring an additional 9,829 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of PSMT stock opened at $108.35 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $99.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.47. 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 has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 23.87 and a beta of 0.81. PriceSmart, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.51 and a fifty-two week high of $109.19.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last issued 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). PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.29% and a net margin of 2.76%. The company had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised PriceSmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 31st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Paul Kovaleski sold 896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.85, for a total value of $90,361.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 43,039 shares in the company, valued at $4,340,483.15. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jeffrey Fisher sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total value of $208,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,145,144. This represents a 15.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,836 shares of company stock worth $1,005,273. 17.10% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.