Whittier Trust Co. Has $27,000 Stock Holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 400.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $27,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in TSCO. Baldwin Investment Management LLC raised its position in Tractor Supply by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC now owns 11,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,317,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,529 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 29.4% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 286 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co lifted its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 7.1% during the third quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 978 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Tractor Supply during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Bank of America upped their target price on Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Tractor Supply from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on Tractor Supply from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.22.

Tractor Supply Stock Up 2.0 %

TSCO opened at $53.53 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $55.01 and a 200 day moving average of $55.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Tractor Supply has a 12 month low of $48.30 and a 12 month high of $61.53. The company has a market cap of $28.59 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $0.92 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a boost from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.87%. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.10%.

Tractor Supply declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows 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 leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Tractor Supply

In other news, EVP Melissa Kersey sold 9,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.17, for a total transaction 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 $1,858,876.37. The trade was a 21.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Colin Yankee sold 24,602 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.15, for a total transaction of $1,332,198.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,876.75. The trade was a 42.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.