Trillium Asset Management LLC Sells 25,707 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Trillium Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 74.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,871 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 25,707 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC's holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Tractor Supply during the 4th quarter worth $329,458,000. Meridiem Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 398.9% during the 4th quarter. Meridiem Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,118,785 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $271,674,000 after acquiring an additional 4,092,808 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Tractor Supply by 3.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,740,864 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,379,260,000 after acquiring an additional 161,503 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Tractor Supply by 1.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,518,341 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,314,521,000 after purchasing an additional 47,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 495.2% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,145,992 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $225,501,000 after purchasing an additional 3,449,442 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.72% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TSCO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 30th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.22.

Tractor Supply Trading Up 2.0 %

Tractor Supply stock traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $53.53. 3,391,244 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,899,696. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.59 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. 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 firm's 50 day simple moving average is $55.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.69. Tractor Supply has a twelve month low of $48.30 and a twelve month high of $61.53.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 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%. Research analysts predict that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current 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 $0.92 dividend. 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 6.87%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. Tractor Supply's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.10%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Tractor Supply news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,961 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,858,876.37. This trade represents a 21.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.69, for a total transaction of $222,106.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 31,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,833,792.03. This represents a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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.