147,000 Shares in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Purchased by BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments

BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments bought a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 147,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $7,730,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Tractor Supply by 392.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,033,972 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,397,643,000 after purchasing an additional 51,031,178 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 401.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,789,249 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,262,258,000 after buying an additional 19,048,385 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 403.3% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 22,256,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,180,932,000 after acquiring an additional 17,834,643 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its position in Tractor Supply by 403.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 19,433,135 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,031,122,000 after acquiring an additional 15,575,311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Tractor Supply by 334.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,429,288 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $818,421,000 after acquiring an additional 11,880,010 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group set a $60.00 price target on Tractor Supply in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group set a $54.00 price target on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Tractor Supply from $62.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Tractor Supply presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $58.02.

Tractor Supply Price Performance

TSCO stock opened at $50.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company's fifty day moving average price is $52.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.41. Tractor Supply has a one year low of $46.85 and a one year high of $61.53. The company has a market capitalization of $27.03 billion, a PE ratio of 24.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). Tractor Supply had a return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. The company had revenue of $3.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.55 billion. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.83 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.24%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a boost from Tractor Supply's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.77%.

Tractor Supply announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to purchase up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.59, for a total value of $4,809,106.05. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the 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 owns 31,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,833,792.03. This trade represents a 10.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068 in the last quarter. 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by 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.

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