Sentry Investment Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 571 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 61 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Tractor Supply were worth $123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of TSCO. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in Tractor Supply by 1.9% in the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 5,006 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,166,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its holdings in Tractor Supply by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 12,622 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,946,000 after purchasing an additional 1,186 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Tractor Supply by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 75,163 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,565,000 after purchasing an additional 8,129 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tractor Supply in the 1st quarter worth $611,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Tractor Supply by 15.8% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 6,238 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,456,000 after buying an additional 849 shares during the period. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Tractor Supply Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ TSCO opened at $247.39 on Thursday. Tractor Supply has a 1 year low of $185.00 and a 1 year high of $268.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $249.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.12. The company has a market capitalization of $26.70 billion, a PE ratio of 24.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.84.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The specialty retailer reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.67 billion. Tractor Supply had a return on equity of 53.60% and a net margin of 7.61%. Tractor Supply’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.43 EPS. On average, 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This is a positive change from Tractor Supply’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Tractor Supply’s payout ratio is presently 43.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 725 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.09, for a total transaction of $172,615.25. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 5,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,359,493.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Jonathan S. Estep sold 7,120 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.26, for a total value of $1,653,691.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,605 shares in the company, valued at $3,159,897.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 725 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.09, for a total transaction of $172,615.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,710 shares in the company, valued at $1,359,493.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 90,090 shares of company stock worth $21,201,877. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on TSCO shares. Stephens lowered shares of Tractor Supply from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $226.00 to $240.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $230.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $210.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Tractor Supply currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $240.57.

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.