Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Shares Acquired by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 398.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,233,999 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,582,562 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned about 1.54% of Tractor Supply worth $436,899,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in Tractor Supply by 286.2% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 400.0% during the 4th 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 period. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp increased its stake 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Tractor Supply during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on TSCO. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $61.00 to $57.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $67.00 price target on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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, Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $62.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Tractor Supply presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $58.21.

Tractor Supply Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:TSCO traded up $0.92 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $49.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,948,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,151,602. The company has a market cap of $26.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88. Tractor Supply has a 12-month low of $46.85 and a 12-month high of $61.53. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $53.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last released its 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). The business had revenue of $3.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.55 billion. Tractor Supply had a return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. On average, analysts forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.37%. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply's payout ratio is 45.77%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Tractor Supply

In other news, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total transaction of $494,481.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,876.37. The trade was a 21.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,686,430.68. The trade was a 15.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068 in the last three months. 0.65% of the stock is 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.