Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Shares Purchased by Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 322.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,233 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 941 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $65,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $329,458,000. Meridiem Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 398.9% in the fourth quarter. Meridiem Investment Management Ltd. now owns 5,118,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $271,674,000 after purchasing an additional 4,092,808 shares during the period. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 495.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,145,992 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $225,501,000 after purchasing an additional 3,449,442 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 403.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,912,752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $207,611,000 after purchasing an additional 3,135,384 shares during the period. Finally, Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt increased its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt now owns 3,750,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $199,012,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on TSCO. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 30th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Tractor Supply currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.22.

Tractor Supply Trading Up 1.2 %

Tractor Supply stock opened at $52.46 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $55.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.69. Tractor Supply has a 52 week low of $48.30 and a 52 week high of $61.53. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $28.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 49.01%. Research analysts forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.01%. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.10%.

Tractor Supply declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tractor Supply

In other Tractor Supply news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.59, for a total transaction of $4,809,106.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total transaction of $494,481.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,876.37. This trade represents a 21.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.24% 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.