Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Purchases 7,871 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 414.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,772 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,871 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $514,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blueshift Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 32.7% during the third quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 9,945 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,000 after buying an additional 2,452 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Tractor Supply by 16.5% in the third quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 27,336 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,953,000 after acquiring an additional 3,863 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Tractor Supply by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 631,406 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $183,695,000 after purchasing an additional 8,142 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its holdings in Tractor Supply by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 157,441 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,804,000 after purchasing an additional 2,510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 48.9% in the 3rd quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 247,806 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $72,094,000 after purchasing an additional 81,341 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $67.00 price target on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Mizuho upped their target price on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America increased their target price on Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Tractor Supply from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Tractor Supply news, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total value of $494,481.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,961 shares in the company, valued at $1,858,876.37. This represents a 21.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.69, for a total value of $222,106.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 31,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,833,792.03. The trade was a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Tractor Supply Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:TSCO opened at $54.95 on Thursday. Tractor Supply has a 52-week low of $48.30 and a 52-week high of $61.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.94, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.43. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $55.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.71.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by ($1.84). Tractor Supply had a return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. Analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.70%. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is 45.10%.

Tractor Supply announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.