Gotham Asset Management LLC Purchases 177,294 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Free Report) by 657.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 204,259 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 177,294 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $10,838,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 286.2% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Tractor Supply by 944.4% in the 4th 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. PrairieView Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp lifted its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% during the 4th quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 98.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TSCO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group set a $54.00 target price on Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, April 25th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $60.00 price target on Tractor Supply in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $62.00 to $58.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $58.02.

Insider Activity at Tractor Supply

In other news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.69, for a total transaction of $222,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 31,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,833,792.03. This represents a 10.80% 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. Corporate insiders own 0.65% of the company's stock.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

Shares of Tractor Supply stock traded up $0.79 on Thursday, reaching $52.17. The stock had a trading volume of 5,637,656 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,168,194. The stock has a market cap of $27.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.82. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $51.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.09.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.83 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current year.

Tractor Supply Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. Tractor Supply's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.77%.

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