Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 387,385 Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 387,385 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $20,555,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.07% of Tractor Supply at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TSCO. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 286.2% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 944.4% in the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 470 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. 98.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Tractor Supply news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 2,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total transaction of $145,445.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,722 shares in the company, valued at $1,538,410.72. This represents a 8.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Tractor Supply Trading Down 1.1%

TSCO traded down $0.55 on Friday, hitting $48.42. 7,785,239 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,174,335. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.43. Tractor Supply has a 12 month low of $46.85 and a 12 month high of $61.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.67 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.82.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $3.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.55 billion. Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 49.01%. The company'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 business earned $1.83 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Tractor Supply Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 28th. Tractor Supply's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on TSCO. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Tractor Supply from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $61.00 to $57.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $51.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $58.02.

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.