Kurt D. Barton Sells 12,146 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Stock

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) CFO Kurt D. Barton sold 12,146 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.00, for a total transaction of $680,176.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 47,715 shares in the company, valued at $2,672,040. The trade was a 20.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Tractor Supply Price Performance

Shares of TSCO opened at $57.14 on Friday. Tractor Supply has a fifty-two week low of $46.76 and a fifty-two week high of $61.53. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $54.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.01, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.84.

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

Tractor Supply announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a dividend of $0.92 per share. This is a boost from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.44%. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Tractor Supply

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC increased its stake in Tractor Supply by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,620 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its stake in Tractor Supply by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 32,004 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $9,311,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares in the last quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd increased its stake in Tractor Supply by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 13,042 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,794,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares in the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC increased its stake in Tractor Supply by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LifeSteps Financial Inc. increased its stake in Tractor Supply by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. LifeSteps Financial Inc. now owns 1,025 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $298,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on TSCO. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Tractor Supply from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.22.

Tractor Supply Company 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.