Ethos Financial Group LLC Acquires 4,694 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 402.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,860 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,694 shares during the quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $311,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blueshift Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 32.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 9,945 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,893,000 after purchasing an additional 2,452 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 16.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 27,336 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,953,000 after purchasing an additional 3,863 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 631,406 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $183,695,000 after purchasing an additional 8,142 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 495.1% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 30,485 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,618,000 after purchasing an additional 25,362 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 157,441 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,804,000 after acquiring an additional 2,510 shares during the last quarter. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Tractor Supply Stock Down 0.7 %

TSCO opened at $54.59 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $55.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. 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 has a one year low of $48.30 and a one year high of $61.53.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last announced its earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.74%. Tractor Supply’s payout ratio is 45.10%.

Tractor Supply announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TSCO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Tractor Supply from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI raised Tractor Supply from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Tractor Supply from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 25th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Tractor Supply currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were 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 directly owns 34,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,858,876.37. The trade was a 21.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $4,809,106.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,686,430.68. This trade represents a 15.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, 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.