Gables Capital Management Inc. Has $504,000 Holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Gables Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 400.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,600 shares during the period. Gables Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $504,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Inspire Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Tractor Supply in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,004,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 403.7% in the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 2,288,400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $121,422,000 after acquiring an additional 1,834,110 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 368.7% in the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 7,485 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $397,000 after acquiring an additional 5,888 shares in the last quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC grew its stake in Tractor Supply by 390.5% during the fourth quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 789,672 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $41,900,000 after buying an additional 628,664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis R M Inc. grew its stake in Tractor Supply by 402.8% during the fourth quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 780,634 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $41,420,000 after buying an additional 625,387 shares in the last quarter. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 30th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Tractor Supply in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 25th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 31,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,833,792.03. This trade represents a 10.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.59, for a total transaction of $4,809,106.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 488,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Tractor Supply Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ TSCO opened at $57.21 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $55.79. The firm has a market cap of $30.55 billion, a PE ratio of 28.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. Tractor Supply has a 1 year low of $48.30 and a 1 year high of $61.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last issued 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 forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.92 per share. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.43%. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.10%.

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

Tractor Supply 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.