Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Shares Bought by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. lifted its position in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 403.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 125,891 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 100,907 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $6,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in TSCO. Smithfield Trust Co raised its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 286.2% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% during the 4th quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC raised its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% during the 4th quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp raised its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% during the 4th quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 98.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.59, for a total value of $4,809,106.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 488,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. This represents a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.69, for a total value of $222,106.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 31,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,833,792.03. This represents a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ TSCO opened at $52.80 on Thursday. Tractor Supply has a 12 month low of $48.30 and a 12 month high of $61.53. The company has a market cap of $28.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.70.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.28 by ($1.84). Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 49.01%. Sell-side analysts predict that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current year.

Tractor Supply announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.92 dividend. This is an increase from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.97%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on TSCO shares. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $67.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Mizuho increased their target price on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital increased their target price on Tractor Supply from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.22.

Tractor Supply Profile

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.