UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
 
Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 
FORM 8-K


 
CURRENT REPORT
 
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 
        Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  January 19, 2011 




PriceSmart, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Delaware
000-22793
33-0628530
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation)
(Commission File Number)
 
(I.R.S. Employer
 Identification No.)
 
9740 Scranton Road, San Diego, CA 92121
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)
 
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (858) 404-8800

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)



o
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)



o
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2)(b))



o
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 



Item 8.01. Other Events.

On January 19, 2011, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a cash dividend in the total amount of $0.60 per share, with $0.30 per share payable on February 28, 2011 to stockholders of record as of close of business on February 15, 2011, and $0.30 per share payable on August 31, 2011 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 15, 2011.
 
 
Item 9.01.   Financial Statements and Exhibits.
 
(d)
The following exhibit is furnished herewith:
 
Exhibit
No.
  
Description
99.1
  
Press Release of PriceSmart, Inc. dated January 20, 2011.


 




 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
SIGNATURES
 
 
 
        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
 
 

 
     
     
Date: January 20, 2011
 
/S/ JOHN M. HEFFNER
   
John M. Heffner
   
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
   
(Principal Financial Officer and
   
Principal Accounting Officer)

 

 
  
 


 
 
 
 

 
 



 




EXHIBIT INDEX
 
Exhibit
Number
  
Description
99.1
  
Press Release of PriceSmart, Inc. dated January 20, 2011.




 


 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
PriceSmart Announces Semi-Annual Dividend


 
San Diego, CA (January 20, 2011) – PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT, www.pricesmart.com) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared cash dividends, in the total amount of $0.60 per share, $0.30 per share payable on February 28, 2011 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 15, 2011 and $0.30 per share payable on August 31, 2011 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 15, 2011.
 
The Company anticipates the ongoing payment of semi-annual dividends in subsequent periods, although the actual declaration of future dividends, the amount of such dividends, and the establishment of record and payment dates is subject to final determination by the Board of Directors in its discretion, after its review of the Company’s financial performance and anticipated capital requirements.

About PriceSmart
 
PriceSmart, headquartered in San Diego, owns and operates U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in Central America and the Caribbean, selling high quality merchandise at low prices to PriceSmart members. PriceSmart now operates 28 warehouse clubs in 11 countries and one U.S. territory (five in Costa Rica; four each in Panama and Trinidad; three each in Guatemala and Dominican Republic, two each in El Salvador and Honduras; and one each in Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica, Nicaragua and the United States Virgin Islands).
 
This press release may contain forward-looking statements concerning the Company's anticipated future revenues and earnings, adequacy of future cash flow 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,” and like expressions, and the negative thereof.  These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the following risks: the Company’s financial performance is dependent on international operations which exposes the Company to various risks; any failure by the Company to manage its widely dispersed operations could adversely affect its business; the Company faces significant competition; the Company may encounter difficulties in the shipment of, and risks inherent in the acquisition and importation of, merchandise to its warehouse clubs; the Company is exposed to weather and other natural disaster risks; declines in the economies of the countries in which the Company operates its warehouse clubs would harm its business; a few of the Company's stockholders own nearly 39% of the Company's voting stock, which may make it difficult to complete some corporate transactions without their support and may impede a change in control; the loss of key personnel could harm the Company’s business; the Company is subject to volatility in foreign currency exchange; the Company faces the risk of exposure to product liability claims, a product recall and adverse publicity; a determination that the Company's long-lived or intangible assets have been impaired could adversely affect the Company's future results of operations and financial position; although the Company takes steps to continuously review, enhance, and implement improvements to its internal controls, there may be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies that the Company has not yet identified; as well as the other risks detailed in the Company's U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reports, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended August 31, 2010 filed pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on November 9, 2010.  We assume no obligation and expressly disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this presentation or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
 
 
For further information, please contact John M. Heffner, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer (858) 404-8826.