Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Upgraded by UBS Group to Strong-Buy

UBS Group upgraded shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Friday, Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on TSCO. Citigroup upgraded shares of Tractor Supply from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday. Benchmark reiterated a buy rating and issued a $280.00 price objective on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Monday, September 30th. Wedbush reiterated a neutral rating and set a $270.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI cut shares of Tractor Supply from an outperform rating to an in-line rating and set a $300.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Tractor Supply from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $261.70.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

NASDAQ:TSCO opened at $293.86 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $272.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $269.51. The stock has a market cap of $31.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.61, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.80. Tractor Supply has a twelve month low of $185.00 and a twelve month high of $298.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The specialty retailer reported $3.93 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $3.93. Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.65% and a return on equity of 51.84%. The company had revenue of $4.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.83 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Tractor Supply will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Tractor Supply news, CFO Kurt D. Barton sold 23,532 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.64, for a total transaction of $6,957,000.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,862,682.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.35, for a total value of $141,669.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,170 shares in the company, valued at $1,356,349.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kurt D. Barton sold 23,532 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.64, for a total transaction of $6,957,000.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 9,683 shares in the company, valued at $2,862,682.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Threadgill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Threadgill Financial LLC now owns 2,951 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $859,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Tractor Supply in the third quarter worth about $202,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 156.6% during the third quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 3,421 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $995,000 after acquiring an additional 2,088 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Tractor Supply by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 21,974 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,429 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

About Tractor Supply

Tractor Supply Company operates as a rural lifestyle retailer in the United States. The company offers various merchandise, including livestock and equine feed and equipment, poultry, fencing, and sprayers and chemicals; food, treats, and equipment for dogs, cats, and other small animals, as well as dog wellness products; seasonal and recreation products comprising tractors and riders, lawn and garden, bird feeding, power equipment, and other recreational products; truck, tool, and hardware products, such as truck accessories, trailers, generators, lubricants, batteries, and hardware and tools; and clothing, gift, and décor products consist of clothing, footwear, toys, snacks, and decorative merchandise.