310,930 Shares in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Purchased by WINTON GROUP Ltd

WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 310,930 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $16,498,000. Tractor Supply accounts for 1.1% of WINTON GROUP Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned approximately 0.06% of Tractor Supply as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Tractor Supply by 392.5% in 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. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Tractor Supply in the fourth quarter worth approximately $329,458,000. Meridiem Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in Tractor Supply by 398.9% during 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 buying an additional 4,092,808 shares during the period. Amundi increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 495.2% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,145,992 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $225,501,000 after buying an additional 3,449,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in 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 worth $207,611,000 after acquiring an additional 3,135,384 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of TSCO stock opened at $53.87 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $55.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.66. Tractor Supply has a 12-month low of $48.30 and a 12-month high of $61.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. 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 (NASDAQ:TSCO) last released 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock 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 generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.83%. 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%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Tractor Supply news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 31,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,833,792.03. The trade was a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares in the company, valued at $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % 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 three months. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho boosted their price target on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays decreased their price objective on 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. 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. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.22.

About Tractor Supply

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.