Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Shares Bought by First National Advisers LLC

First National Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 40.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 6,110 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,754 shares during the period. First National Advisers LLC’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smithfield Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 286.2% in the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. PrairieView Partners LLC increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in Tractor Supply in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. 98.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Tractor Supply Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of TSCO stock opened at $51.83 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $27.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. Tractor Supply has a one year low of $48.30 and a one year high of $61.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $55.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last issued 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 return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. Analysts predict that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.10%.

Tractor Supply announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on TSCO shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho upped 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Tractor Supply from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Finally, Loop Capital upped 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 investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Tractor Supply currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of Tractor Supply 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 owns 31,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,833,792.03. The trade was a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068 over the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.