Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys 28,684 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 400.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,855 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 28,684 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $1,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FORA Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 434.1% in the 4th quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 35,526 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,885,000 after acquiring an additional 28,875 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 385.8% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,089,542 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $59,260,000 after acquiring an additional 865,273 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 330.2% in the 4th quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. now owns 21,355 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,133,000 after acquiring an additional 16,391 shares in the last quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 513.8% in the 4th quarter. Gen Wealth Partners Inc now owns 14,320 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $760,000 after acquiring an additional 11,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 571.8% in the 4th quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 66,815 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,545,000 after acquiring an additional 56,870 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.72% of the company's stock.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

NASDAQ:TSCO traded down $0.55 on Friday, reaching $48.42. 7,785,239 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,168,265. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $25.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.82. Tractor Supply has a 52 week low of $46.85 and a 52 week high of $61.53. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.75.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.55 billion. Tractor Supply had a return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. Tractor Supply's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.83 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Tractor Supply declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to purchase up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Tractor Supply Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. Tractor Supply's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.77%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 2,810 shares of the firm'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 value of $145,445.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,538,410.72. This trade represents a 8.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TSCO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $61.00 to $57.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Tractor Supply from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. UBS Group set a $54.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $62.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.