Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Buys 8,120 Shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI raised its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 505.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 9,725 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 8,120 shares during the period. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Barings LLC now owns 59,720 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,169,000 after purchasing an additional 47,776 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its position in Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 11,840 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $628,000 after buying an additional 9,472 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its stake in Tractor Supply by 495.2% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,145,992 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $225,501,000 after buying an additional 3,449,442 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 276.9% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 4,440 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 3,262 shares during the period. Finally, Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% in the 4th quarter. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC now owns 10,300 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $547,000 after acquiring an additional 8,240 shares during the last quarter. 98.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Tractor Supply Trading Up 4.2 %

NASDAQ TSCO opened at $56.89 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $30.38 billion, a PE ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. Tractor Supply has a 52 week low of $48.30 and a 52 week high of $61.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $55.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.75.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The specialty retailer reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This is an increase from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.10%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TSCO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their target price on Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 30th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $53.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.22.

Insider Transactions at Tractor Supply

In other Tractor Supply news, CEO Harry A. Lawton III sold 88,095 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.59, for a total transaction of $4,809,106.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 488,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,686,430.68. This represents a 15.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Colin Yankee sold 24,602 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.15, for a total transaction of $1,332,198.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,645 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,876.75. This trade represents a 42.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 137,993 shares of company stock worth $7,538,068. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Tractor Supply 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.