Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Grows Holdings in PriceSmart, Inc. $PSMT

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 22.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,339 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,275 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $1,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 2.3% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 131,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,525,000 after purchasing an additional 3,003 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 68.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 1,928 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in PriceSmart by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 10,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $947,000 after buying an additional 1,742 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in PriceSmart by 21.4% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 16,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,430,000 after buying an additional 2,868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in PriceSmart by 25.8% in the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 782,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,730,000 after buying an additional 160,656 shares in the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at PriceSmart

In related news, EVP Michael Mccleary sold 9,754 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.62, for a total value of $1,078,987.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 47,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,208,210.84. This trade represents a 17.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Francisco Velasco sold 550 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.82, for a total transaction of $67,551.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 80,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,892,905.36. This trade represents a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on PSMT shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of PriceSmart in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

PriceSmart Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of PriceSmart stock opened at $123.04 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.96 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $115.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. PriceSmart, Inc. has a twelve month low of $81.25 and a twelve month high of $125.48.

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.