Marshall Wace LLP Purchases 43,743 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 399,450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 43,743 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.07% of Tractor Supply worth $21,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TSCO. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Tractor Supply by 354.9% in the 4th quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,870 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 6,140 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 413.0% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 807,931 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $42,869,000 after acquiring an additional 650,443 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 287.1% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 268,769 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $14,261,000 after acquiring an additional 199,333 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 396.1% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 252,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $13,371,000 after acquiring an additional 201,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 393.7% during the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 117,500 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $6,235,000 after acquiring an additional 93,700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Tractor Supply

In other news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. The trade was a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Colin Yankee sold 24,602 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.15, for a total value of $1,332,198.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 33,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,821,876.75. This represents a 42.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

Shares of Tractor Supply stock traded down $1.73 during trading on Thursday, reaching $49.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,587,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,150,242. Tractor Supply has a 52 week low of $46.93 and a 52 week high of $61.53. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $53.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.94. The firm has a market cap of $26.05 billion, a PE ratio of 24.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 49.01%. The business had revenue of $3.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.55 billion. Equities analysts forecast 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 program on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend yield of 7.51%. Tractor Supply's payout ratio is presently 45.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on TSCO shares. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $67.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $59.07.

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.