Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Shares Acquired by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 360.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 61,233 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,945 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $3,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of TSCO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Tractor Supply by 392.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,033,972 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,397,643,000 after acquiring an additional 51,031,178 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Tractor Supply by 401.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,789,249 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,262,258,000 after buying an additional 19,048,385 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 403.3% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 22,256,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,180,932,000 after buying an additional 17,834,643 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Tractor Supply by 391.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,821,654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $574,197,000 after buying an additional 8,617,869 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply in the 4th quarter valued at $329,458,000. 98.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Tractor Supply

In other Tractor Supply news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.69, for a total value of $222,106.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 31,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,833,792.03. This represents a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Kurt D. Barton sold 12,146 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.00, for a total transaction of $680,176.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 47,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,672,040. This represents a 20.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:TSCO opened at $55.13 on Wednesday. Tractor Supply has a 52-week low of $48.30 and a 52-week high of $61.53. The stock has a market cap of $29.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.02, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a fifty day moving average of $55.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.64. 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 announced 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 net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 49.01%. On average, research analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Tractor Supply announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to purchase up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is 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 given a dividend of $0.92 per share. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.68%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply’s payout ratio is presently 45.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on TSCO shares. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays dropped their target price on Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 30th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Tractor Supply currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.22.

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.