Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) Shares Sold by West Oak Capital LLC

West Oak Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,101 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $693,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pacific Center for Financial Services acquired a new stake in Tractor Supply during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Tractor Supply during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Tractor Supply in the third quarter worth $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Tractor Supply in the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Tractor Supply by 105.6% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 148 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

NASDAQ:TSCO traded up $0.59 on Thursday, hitting $261.03. The stock had a trading volume of 162,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,183,894. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Tractor Supply has a 52-week low of $185.00 and a 52-week high of $268.02. The stock has a market cap of $28.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $242.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $219.60.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The specialty retailer reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.06. Tractor Supply had a net margin of 7.61% and a return on equity of 53.60%. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.43 earnings per share. Tractor Supply’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Tractor Supply will post 10.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This is an increase from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Tractor Supply’s payout ratio is currently 43.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 20,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.93, for a total transaction of $4,775,065.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 95,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,173,072.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 20,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.93, for a total transaction of $4,775,065.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 95,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,173,072.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Kurt D. Barton sold 401 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.06, for a total value of $93,056.06. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 25,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,804,516.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 90,090 shares of company stock worth $21,201,877. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on TSCO. Mizuho assumed coverage on Tractor Supply in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James cut Tractor Supply from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America cut Tractor Supply from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $207.00 to $171.00 in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Finally, Wedbush raised their price objective on Tractor Supply from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.91.

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.