Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC Buys 5,792 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 483.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,990 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,792 shares during the period. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $371,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Baldwin Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 0.3% in the third quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC now owns 11,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,317,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Tractor Supply by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 5,538 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,611,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 351 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 958 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 2.8% in the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,529 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $445,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Tractor Supply

In other news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.59, for a total value of $4,809,106.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. The trade was a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 directly owns 31,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,833,792.03. The trade was a 10.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068 over the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on TSCO. Barclays decreased their price target 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 restated an “outperform” rating and set a $67.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI upgraded Tractor Supply from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.22.

Tractor Supply Price Performance

Shares of TSCO stock opened at $56.89 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $55.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.76. Tractor Supply has a one year low of $48.30 and a one 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.28 by ($1.84). Tractor Supply had a return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current year.

Tractor Supply announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 repurchase up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a $0.92 dividend. This is an increase from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.47%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. Tractor Supply’s payout ratio is presently 45.10%.

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.