Thematics Asset Management Has $4.37 Million Holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Thematics Asset Management increased its position in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 400.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 82,380 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 65,904 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management's holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $4,371,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 51,031,178 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Tractor Supply by 401.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,789,249 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,262,258,000 after acquiring an additional 19,048,385 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Tractor Supply by 403.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 22,256,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,180,932,000 after purchasing an additional 17,834,643 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Tractor Supply by 403.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 19,433,135 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,031,122,000 after purchasing an additional 15,575,311 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 334.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,429,288 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $818,421,000 after purchasing an additional 11,880,010 shares during the period. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Tractor Supply

In related news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. The trade was a 15.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068. 0.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Tractor Supply Trading Down 3.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ TSCO traded down $1.73 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $49.00. The stock had a trading volume of 12,588,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,150,243. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.20. Tractor Supply has a fifty-two week low of $46.93 and a fifty-two week high of $61.53. The firm has a market cap of $26.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $53.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.94.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.55 billion. Tractor Supply had a return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. Research analysts anticipate that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current year.

Tractor Supply declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.51%. Tractor Supply's payout ratio is 45.10%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on TSCO shares. Stephens started coverage on Tractor Supply in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays cut their target price 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. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $67.00 price target on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Thursday. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.07.

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.