Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC Buys 9,220 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 435.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 11,335 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 9,220 shares during the quarter. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC's holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $601,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in TSCO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 392.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,033,972 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,397,643,000 after buying an additional 51,031,178 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Tractor Supply by 401.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,789,249 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,262,258,000 after purchasing an additional 19,048,385 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Tractor Supply by 403.3% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 22,256,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,180,932,000 after purchasing an additional 17,834,643 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 403.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,519,937 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $768,838,000 after purchasing an additional 11,634,249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 391.0% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,821,654 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $574,197,000 after buying an additional 8,617,869 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Tractor Supply

In related news, EVP Colin Yankee sold 24,602 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.15, for a total transaction of $1,332,198.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,876.75. This trade represents a 42.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,833,792.03. This represents a 10.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on TSCO. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 30th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.07.

Tractor Supply Trading Up 1.4 %

Tractor Supply stock traded up $0.72 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $51.00. 2,202,637 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,103,110. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $53.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.97. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $27.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88. Tractor Supply has a fifty-two week low of $46.97 and a fifty-two week high of $61.53.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.22%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a boost from Tractor Supply's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply's dividend payout ratio is 45.10%.

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.