Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Trims Holdings in Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC trimmed its position in Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 26.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,875 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 15,594 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $2,408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 392.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,033,972 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,397,643,000 after buying an additional 51,031,178 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Tractor Supply by 401.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,789,249 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,262,258,000 after acquiring an additional 19,048,385 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Tractor Supply by 403.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake 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 worth $1,031,122,000 after acquiring an additional 15,575,311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew 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 worth $818,421,000 after purchasing an additional 11,880,010 shares during the period. 98.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Tractor Supply

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 shares were sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total transaction of $145,445.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 29,722 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,538,410.72. This represents a 8.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan S. Estep sold 56,630 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction 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 owned 74,605 shares in the company, valued at $3,954,065. This represents a 43.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

TSCO traded up $1.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $54.08. 7,108,206 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,144,786. The company's fifty day moving average price is $50.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $52.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. Tractor Supply Company has a 52-week low of $46.85 and a 52-week high of $61.53.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.24% and a return on equity of 47.56%. The firm had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.83 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Tractor Supply Company will post 2.17 EPS for the current year.

Tractor Supply Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 28th. Tractor Supply's payout ratio is 45.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on TSCO shares. UBS Group set a $54.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on Tractor Supply from $61.00 to $57.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $60.00 price objective on Tractor Supply in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Tractor Supply from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $58.02.

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.