PriceSmart Announces 26% Increase to Annual Dividend; Voting Results from the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT), operator of 53 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and one U.S. territory, today announced a 26% increase to its annual dividend and the results of the Company's 2024 annual meeting of stockholders that was held on February 1, 2024.

Declaration of Cash Dividend

On February 1, 2024, the Company's Board of Directors declared its annual cash dividend in the total amount of $1.16 per share, with $0.58 per share payable on February 29, 2024 to stockholders of record as of February 15, 2024 and $0.58 per share payable on August 30, 2024 to stockholders of record as of August 15, 2024. This represents a 26% increase over last year's $0.92 per share dividend, payable in two $0.46 per share installments. The decision to increase the annual dividend by 26 percent by the Board of Directors reflects the Board's confidence in PriceSmart and the strength of its cash generating activities.

PriceSmart anticipates the ongoing payment of annual dividends in subsequent periods, although the actual declaration of future dividends, if any, the amount of such dividends, and the establishment of record and payment dates is subject to final determination by the Board of Directors at its discretion after its review of the Company's financial performance and anticipated capital requirements, taking into account the uncertain macroeconomic conditions on our results of operations and cash flows.

Annual Meeting Results

At the annual meeting of stockholders, eleven nominees were elected to the PriceSmart, Inc. Board of Directors.  Each director elected will continue to hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders of PriceSmart, or until the director resigns or a successor is elected or appointed. The following directors were elected: Sherry S. Bahrambeygui, Jeffrey R. Fisher, Gordon H. Hanson, Beatriz V. Infante, Leon C. Janks, Patricia Márquez, David N. Price, Robert E. Price, David R. Snyder, John D. Thelan and Edgar Zurcher.

Stockholders also approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company's executive officers for fiscal year 2023, approved a frequency of every year for the advisory vote regarding the compensation of our executive officers, approved an amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to provide for limitation of liability of officers and ratified the selection of Ernst & Young, LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2024. A final report on voting results will be filed with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission within four business days following the date of the annual meeting of stockholders.

About PriceSmart

PriceSmart, headquartered in San Diego, owns and operates U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in Latin America and the Caribbean, selling high quality merchandise and services at low prices to PriceSmart Members. PriceSmart operates 53 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and one U.S. territory (ten in Colombia; eight in Costa Rica; seven in Panama; six in Guatemala; five in the Dominican Republic; four in Trinidad; three in Honduras and El Salvador, two in Nicaragua and Jamaica; and one each in Aruba, Barbados and the United States Virgin Islands). In addition, the Company plans to open a warehouse club in Santa Ana, El Salvador in February 2024. Once this new club is open, the Company will operate 54 warehouse clubs.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements concerning PriceSmart, Inc.'s ("PriceSmart", the "Company" or "we") anticipated future revenues and earnings, adequacy of future cash flows, future dividends, omni-channel initiatives, proposed warehouse club openings, the Company's performance relative to competitors and related matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements containing the words "expect," "believe," "will," "may," "should," "project," "estimate," "anticipated," "scheduled," "intend," and like expressions, and the negative thereof. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to: various political, economic and compliance risks associated with our international operations, adverse changes in economic conditions in our markets, natural disasters, volatility in currency exchange rates and illiquidity of certain local currencies in our markets, competition, consumer and small business spending patterns, political instability, increased costs associated with the integration of online commerce with our traditional business, whether the Company can successfully execute strategic initiatives, our reliance on third party service providers, including those who support transaction and payment processing, data security and other technology services, cybersecurity breaches that could cause disruptions in our systems or jeopardize the security of Member, employee or business information, cost increases from product and service providers, interruption of supply chains, novel coronavirus (COVID-19) related factors and challenges, exposure to product liability claims and product recalls, recoverability of moneys owed to PriceSmart from governments, and other important factors discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other factors discussed from time to time in other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, including Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date that they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update them, except as required by law.

For further information, please contact Michael L. McCleary, EVP, Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer (858) 404-8826 or send an email to [email protected] 

SOURCE PriceSmart, Inc.