Bell Investment Advisors Inc Acquires 3,418 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 403.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,265 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,418 shares during the quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $226,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Personal Financial Services bought a new position in shares of Tractor Supply during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Tractor Supply during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 2,383.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 149 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 29.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 286 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Tractor Supply in the 3rd quarter worth $90,000. 98.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Tractor Supply Trading Up 4.2 %

Shares of Tractor Supply stock opened at $56.89 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $30.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.89, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $55.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.76. 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 has a twelve month low of $48.30 and a twelve month high of $61.53.

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

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.47%. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.10%.

Tractor Supply announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on TSCO. Loop Capital raised their target price on Tractor Supply from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Tractor Supply from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Tractor Supply from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.69, for a total value of $222,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 31,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,833,792.03. This trade represents a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of Tractor Supply stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total value of $494,481.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 34,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,858,876.37. This represents a 21.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.