Guggenheim Capital LLC Buys 9,216 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 381.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,632 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 9,216 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Activity at Tractor Supply

In other Tractor Supply 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 transaction of $4,809,106.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares in the company, valued at $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total value of $494,481.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,876.37. This trade represents a 21.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068. Insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Tractor Supply Trading Up 1.8 %

TSCO stock traded up $0.87 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $49.87. 3,464,401 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,113,384. The stock's fifty day moving average is $52.86 and its 200-day moving average is $54.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $26.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88. Tractor Supply has a 52-week low of $46.85 and a 52-week high of $61.53.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.55 billion. Tractor Supply had a return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. The company's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.83 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Tractor Supply declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to purchase up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a boost from Tractor Supply's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.38%. Tractor Supply's payout ratio is 45.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on TSCO shares. Guggenheim cut their target price on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $60.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $58.02.

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.