Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Purchases 201,200 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 396.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 252,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 201,200 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL's holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $13,371,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

Shares of TSCO traded up $0.75 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $50.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,481,903 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,117,015. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.13. Tractor Supply has a 52-week low of $46.97 and a 52-week high of $61.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $26.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.56, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply's dividend payout ratio is 45.10%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TSCO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America increased their price target on Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 30th. Mizuho increased their target price on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.59, for a total transaction of $4,809,106.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.69, for a total transaction of $222,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 31,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,833,792.03. This trade represents a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068 in the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.