Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Purchases 453,986 Shares of Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 64.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,154,721 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 453,986 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned about 0.22% of Tractor Supply worth $63,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 944.4% during the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 470 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 325.8% in the fourth quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 511 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the period. Pacific Center for Financial Services increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services now owns 550 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 615 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.72% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Tractor Supply

In other Tractor Supply news, Director Denise L. Jackson sold 4,630 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.93, for a total transaction of $258,955.90. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,288 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,973,657.84. This trade represents a 11.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan S. Estep sold 56,630 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.00, for a total transaction of $3,001,390.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 74,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,954,065. This represents a 43.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 102,445 shares of company stock valued at $5,554,242. 0.65% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Tractor Supply Stock Down 1.1%

NASDAQ TSCO traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $56.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,881,088 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,165,653. Tractor Supply Company has a 52 week low of $46.85 and a 52 week high of $61.53. The company has a market capitalization of $30.11 billion, a PE ratio of 28.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $52.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.08.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.24% and a return on equity of 47.56%. The business had revenue of $3.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.83 EPS. Tractor Supply's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Tractor Supply Company will post 2.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th were given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Tractor Supply's payout ratio is 45.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on TSCO shares. UBS Group set a $54.00 price objective on Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens started coverage on Tractor Supply in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on Tractor Supply from $61.00 to $57.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $51.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Tractor Supply currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.