Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. Purchases 321 Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 14.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,618 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,226,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 57.3% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 626 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $703,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 62.6% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,309 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,184,000 after buying an additional 1,274 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $669,000. Finally, Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 8,700 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,743,000 after buying an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded down $9.30 during trading on Friday, reaching $876.68. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,074,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,959,834. The stock has a market capitalization of $388.66 billion, a PE ratio of 54.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.80. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 12 month low of $540.23 and a 12 month high of $918.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $857.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $800.19.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.75%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Loop Capital increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $970.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $780.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $828.73.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Costco Wholesale

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