Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $59.7826.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on TSCO. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Tractor Supply from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Zacks Research cut Tractor Supply from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd.

Tractor Supply Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ TSCO opened at $50.16 on Monday. Tractor Supply has a 12 month low of $46.85 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The company has a market capitalization of $26.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.23, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $52.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Tractor Supply had a return on equity of 44.36% and a net margin of 7.06%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.44 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th will be given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 24th. Tractor Supply’s payout ratio is 46.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tractor Supply

In related news, EVP Robert D. Mills sold 62,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.12, for a total value of $3,406,854.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 122,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,647,776.08. This trade represents a 33.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Colin Yankee sold 11,170 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.35, for a total transaction of $618,259.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,519,255.25. The trade was a 19.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 222,348 shares of company stock valued at $11,959,621 over the last three months. 0.65% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Tractor Supply

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 356.1% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 6,426 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $341,000 after acquiring an additional 5,017 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in Tractor Supply by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 45,132 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,487,000 after acquiring an additional 13,051 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Tractor Supply by 26.9% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 26,162 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,442,000 after acquiring an additional 5,542 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 150.1% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,329 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 1,998 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 8.5% in the 2nd quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 12,850 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply Company Profile

Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO) is a specialty retailer focused on products for the home, farm, ranch and outdoors. The company operates a network of physical retail locations complemented by an e-commerce platform, offering a one-stop source of supplies and equipment for customers with rural and suburban lifestyles. Its merchandise assortment targets a range of needs, from animal and livestock care to maintenance, outdoor power equipment, and seasonal products.

Product categories include animal feed and supplies, pet products, fencing and fencing supplies, equine equipment, lawn and garden tools, work clothing and footwear, and small agricultural and outdoor power equipment.