Guardian Financial Partners LLC Acquires 33 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Guardian Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,573 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 2.5% of Guardian Financial Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Guardian Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. MJP Associates Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 1,860 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,001,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. WJ Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $335,000. Buckley Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.3% during the second quarter. Buckley Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,051 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,950,000 after buying an additional 1,118 shares during the last quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,283 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,152,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Maltin Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $391,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.31% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $562.72 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $447.90 and a 52 week high of $571.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $249.34 billion, a PE ratio of 41.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $551.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $519.89.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 25th were given a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 24th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. UBS Group increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $535.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Friday, July 7th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, August 23rd. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, August 31st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $566.63.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,565 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $533.00, for a total value of $834,145.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,104,357. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, China, and Taiwan. It offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.