PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT – Get Free Report) was upgraded to “Strong Buy” from “Buy” by investment analysts at StockNews.com in a report released Friday.

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on PriceSmart from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 17.

Read our latest report on PriceSmart

PriceSmart shares rise 0.8%

PSMT stock opened at $82.69 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. PriceSmart has a twelve-month low of $61.82 and a twelve-month high of $92.76. The company’s 50-day moving average is $83.02 and its 200-day moving average is $82.18.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT – Free Report) last announced its quarterly results on Wednesday, July 10. The company reported earnings per share of $1.08 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. PriceSmart had a net margin of 2.60% and a return on equity of 11.89%. PriceSmart’s revenue for the quarter increased 12.1% compared to the year-ago quarter. During the same period last year, the company generated earnings per share of $1.02. Research analysts expect PriceSmart to report earnings per share of $4.64 for the current fiscal year.

Insider buying and selling

In related news, EVP David R. Price sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.85, for a total value of $175,700.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 51,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,547,818.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 1,298 shares of PriceSmart’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.00, for a total value of $112,926.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 81,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,112,337. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David R. Price sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock on Friday, July 19. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.85, for a total transaction of $175,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 51,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,547,818.80. The disclosure of this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 25,756 shares of the company’s stock in the last 90 days, valued at $2,222,192. Company insiders own 18.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional trading with PriceSmart

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PSMT. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its holdings in PriceSmart by 201.5% in the first quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 20,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,711,000 after buying an additional 13,614 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of PriceSmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,673,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 249.0% in the 1st quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after buying an additional 13,461 shares during the same period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of PriceSmart by 165.9% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 14,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 9,072 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its stake in PriceSmart by 938.5% in the first quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 181,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,286,000 after purchasing an additional 164,449 shares during the same period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.46% of the company’s stock.

PriceSmart company profile

(Get free report)

PriceSmart, Inc. owns and operates U.S.-style shopping centers in the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, and Colombia. The company offers basic and private label consumer products under the Member’s Selection brand, including grocery, cleaning supplies, health and beauty products, meat, produce, deli, seafood, and poultry.

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