Level Four Advisory Services LLC Raises Holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 401.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 7,534 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $499,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in TSCO. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 286.2% in the fourth quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% during the 4th quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% during the fourth quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp raised its stake in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in Tractor Supply during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. 98.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on TSCO. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $67.00 price objective on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.59, for a total value of $4,809,106.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 488,852 shares in the company, valued at $26,686,430.68. This represents a 15.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 sale, 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. Insiders have sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068 over the last ninety days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

TSCO opened at $55.10 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $55.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.65. The stock has a market cap of $29.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.01, a P/E/G 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.28 by ($1.84). Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 49.01%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.68%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is an increase from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is 45.10%.

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

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.