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

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 400.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund 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 quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised 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 during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 19,048,385 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in Tractor Supply by 403.3% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 22,256,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,180,932,000 after buying an additional 17,834,643 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Tractor Supply by 403.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 19,433,135 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,031,122,000 after buying an additional 15,575,311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Tractor Supply by 334.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,429,288 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $818,421,000 after buying an additional 11,880,010 shares during the last quarter. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Tractor Supply Stock Up 1.6%

NASDAQ TSCO traded up $0.82 on Friday, reaching $52.99. The stock had a trading volume of 5,247,049 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,181,919. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $51.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Tractor Supply has a 1 year low of $46.85 and a 1 year high of $61.53. The company has a market capitalization of $28.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.82.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $3.55 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.83 EPS. Tractor Supply's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Tractor Supply's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.77%.

Tractor Supply declared that its board has approved a stock 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 buy up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on TSCO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Raymond James cut their price target on Tractor Supply from $61.00 to $57.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group set a $54.00 price target on Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $58.02.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.