Achmea Investment Management B.V. Boosts Stock Position in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 344.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 70,890 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,954 shares during the quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V.’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $3,761,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co grew its stake in Tractor Supply by 286.2% during the 4th quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Tractor Supply in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.72% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply Price Performance

Shares of Tractor Supply stock opened at $51.83 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.72. Tractor Supply has a 12 month low of $48.30 and a 12 month high of $61.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.41, a PEG 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 (NASDAQ:TSCO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.10%. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is 45.10%.

Tractor Supply declared that its Board of Directors 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on TSCO. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. 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. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Tractor Supply from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 value of $222,106.50. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 31,787 shares in the company, valued at $1,833,792.03. This represents a 10.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 34,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,858,876.37. This trade represents a 21.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply Company 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.