170,075 Shares in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Purchased by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP purchased a new stake in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 170,075 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $9,024,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AGP Franklin LLC bought a new position in shares of Tractor Supply in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,522,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 381.5% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 11,632 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $617,000 after acquiring an additional 9,216 shares in the last quarter. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super purchased a new position in Tractor Supply during the 4th quarter worth $3,198,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply in the 4th quarter worth $499,000. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 405.2% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 184,683 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $9,798,000 after purchasing an additional 148,128 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total value of $494,481.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 34,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,876.37. This represents a 21.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 31,787 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ TSCO opened at $49.36 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.24. Tractor Supply has a 52 week low of $46.97 and a 52 week high of $61.53. The company has a market cap of $26.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 13th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to purchase up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.46%. This is a boost from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TSCO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays cut 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 report on Monday, December 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stephens began coverage on Tractor Supply in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $56.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.07.

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.