Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Shares Acquired by Wintrust Investments LLC

Wintrust Investments LLC increased its position in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 145.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,995 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,183 shares during the period. Wintrust Investments LLC’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Tractor Supply during the fourth quarter worth approximately $329,458,000. Meridiem Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in Tractor Supply by 398.9% during the fourth quarter. Meridiem Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,118,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $271,674,000 after purchasing an additional 4,092,808 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Tractor Supply by 3.5% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,740,864 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,379,260,000 after purchasing an additional 161,503 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake 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 worth $1,314,521,000 after buying an additional 47,951 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew 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 buying an additional 3,449,442 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply Trading Down 1.3 %

TSCO opened at $51.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.59 billion, a PE ratio of 25.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $55.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.77. 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 12-month low of $48.30 and a 12-month high of $61.53.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.28 by ($1.84). Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 49.01%. As a group, research analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to buy up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.12%. This is a boost from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is 45.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Colin Yankee sold 24,602 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were 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 $1,821,876.75. This trade represents a 42.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 488,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on TSCO shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.22.

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.