Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Has $516,000 Holdings in Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI lifted its position in shares of Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) by 505.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,725 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,120 shares during the quarter. 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 modified their holdings of the company. Barings LLC raised 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 valued at $3,169,000 after purchasing an additional 47,776 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in Tractor Supply by 400.0% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 11,840 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $628,000 after buying an additional 9,472 shares during the period. Amundi raised its position in Tractor Supply by 495.2% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,145,992 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $225,501,000 after acquiring an additional 3,449,442 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its position in shares of Tractor Supply by 276.9% during the 4th 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 increased its stake in shares of Tractor Supply by 400.0% during the 4th quarter. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC now owns 10,300 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 8,240 shares during the last quarter. 98.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Tractor Supply Stock Up 4.2 %

TSCO stock opened at $56.89 on Friday. Tractor Supply has a fifty-two week low of $48.30 and a fifty-two week high of $61.53. The company has a market capitalization of $30.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $55.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Tractor Supply (NASDAQ:TSCO) last posted 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 return on equity of 49.01% and a net margin of 7.40%. As a group, analysts forecast that Tractor Supply will post 2.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tractor Supply Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.92 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 yield of 6.47%. Tractor Supply’s dividend payout ratio is 45.10%.

Tractor Supply declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 13th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Tractor Supply in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Tractor Supply from $262.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 30th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Tractor Supply from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Tractor Supply from $65.00 to $64.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Tractor Supply from $44.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Tractor Supply has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Kurt D. Barton sold 12,146 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.00, for a total value of $680,176.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 47,715 shares in the company, valued at $2,672,040. This trade represents a 20.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Matthew L. Rubin sold 3,850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.69, for a total value of $222,106.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 31,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,833,792.03. This trade represents a 10.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 137,993 shares of company stock valued at $7,538,068. 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.