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

Shares of Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and fifteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.7826.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 target price (down from $66.00) on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Tractor Supply from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $59.00 target price on Tractor Supply and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Tractor Supply from $62.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th.

Tractor Supply Stock Down 1.6%

NASDAQ TSCO opened at $43.82 on Friday. Tractor Supply has a 12 month low of $43.35 and a 12 month high of $63.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $23.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $50.72 and its 200 day moving average is $52.81.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.03). Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.06% and a return on equity of 44.36%. The company had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.44 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 24th were paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 24th. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tractor Supply

In related news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 84,670 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.16, for a total value of $4,501,057.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 606,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,259,720.72. The trade was a 12.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kurt D. Barton sold 1,884 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.81, for a total transaction of $101,378.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,562 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,828,361.22. The trade was a 3.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 222,348 shares of company stock worth $11,959,621. Company insiders own 0.65% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Tractor Supply

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in TSCO. Garner Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Tractor Supply in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Tractor Supply during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tractor Supply in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.