Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Shares Purchased by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 1,871.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,955 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 38,878 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $2,173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 392.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,033,972 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,397,643,000 after purchasing an additional 51,031,178 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 401.8% in 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 buying an additional 19,048,385 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 403.3% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 22,256,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,180,932,000 after buying an additional 17,834,643 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 15,575,311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its position 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 valued at $818,421,000 after acquiring an additional 11,880,010 shares during the last quarter. 98.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on TSCO. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Guggenheim cut their price target on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $51.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $58.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total transaction of $494,481.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,961 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,876.37. The trade was a 21.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.59, for a total value of $4,809,106.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068. 0.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Tractor Supply Price Performance

Tractor Supply stock traded down $0.79 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $49.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,728,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,101,877. 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 fifty-two week low of $46.85 and a fifty-two week high of $61.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.12 billion, a PE ratio of 24.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $53.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.73.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. The company had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.55 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.92 dividend. This is an increase from Tractor Supply's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. Tractor Supply's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.77%.

Tractor Supply announced that its board has approved 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 buy up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Tractor Supply 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.