PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) Shares Sold by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. decreased its position in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 23.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,151 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,552 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned about 0.08% of PriceSmart worth $2,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of PriceSmart by 330.0% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,076,000 after purchasing an additional 17,356 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in PriceSmart by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 24,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,211,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in PriceSmart by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 25,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,384,000 after buying an additional 1,152 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in PriceSmart by 45.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,102,000 after buying an additional 3,779 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in PriceSmart by 313.2% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,000 after buying an additional 1,544 shares during the period. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PriceSmart Stock Performance

Shares of PriceSmart stock opened at $84.47 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.30. 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 one year low of $77.51 and a one year high of $99.23. The company has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61 and a beta of 0.84.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.22). PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.29% and a net margin of 2.76%. The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.24 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PriceSmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 (DPR) is presently 27.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling at PriceSmart

In other PriceSmart news, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 555 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.42, for a total value of $50,183.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,008 shares in the company, valued at $7,143,903.36. This represents a 0.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Mccleary sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.67, for a total transaction of $358,680.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 58,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,213,503.47. The trade was a 6.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,162 shares of company stock worth $1,930,402 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart Company 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.