AMF Tjanstepension AB Buys 174,071 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 388.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 218,865 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 174,071 shares during the quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $11,620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TSCO. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in Tractor Supply by 286.2% in the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. PrairieView Partners LLC raised its holdings in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in 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 raised its holdings in 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 period. Archer Investment Corp raised its holdings in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Tractor Supply in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 98.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on TSCO shares. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Tractor Supply from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. 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 research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 30th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Tractor Supply presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tractor Supply

In other news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 31,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,833,792.03. The trade was a 10.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

Shares of Tractor Supply stock opened at $56.89 on Friday. Tractor Supply has a fifty-two week low of $48.30 and a fifty-two week high of $61.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $55.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.75.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by ($1.84). Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 49.01%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.47%. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.10%.

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

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.