UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $260.53 Million Stock Position in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 476.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,910,178 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,058,875 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.92% of Tractor Supply worth $260,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of TSCO. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its holdings in Tractor Supply by 286.2% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 944.4% during the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 470 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Tractor Supply in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

Shares of Tractor Supply stock opened at $50.04 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $51.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.82. 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 fifty-two week low of $46.85 and a fifty-two week high of $61.53.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 49.01%. The firm had revenue of $3.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.55 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.83 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Tractor Supply Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.77%.

Insider Activity at Tractor Supply

In other Tractor Supply news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 2,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total transaction of $145,445.60. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 29,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,538,410.72. The trade was a 8.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.65% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $59.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Tractor Supply from $62.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $60.00 price objective on Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.02.

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.