Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO) stock is up more than 4% on Thursday after the rural lifestyle retailer reported better-than-expected third-quarter results that beat Wall Street estimates and reaffirmed its fiscal year 2026 outlook.
• Tractor Supply stock is moving in positive territory. Why are TSCO shares climbing?
The company reported diluted earnings of 43 cents per share, beating the analyst consensus estimate of 41 cents.
Revenue rose 5.1% year over year to $3.91 billion, beating the analyst consensus of $3.82 billion.
The broader market remains in a downtrend, with Nasdaq down 1.79% and the S&P 500 down by 0.96%.
Third-Quarter Sales Beat Expectations
The company attributed the sales growth to new store openings, the acquisition of VIP Petcare and growth in comparable store sales.
Comparable store sales increased 0.4% year over year, reflecting a 0.7% increase in comparable average ticket and a 0.3% decline in comparable average transaction count.
Comparable store sales improved sequentially throughout the quarter, turning from negative in July to positive in August and strengthening further in September.
Seasonal categories, including wildlife supplies, equine and livestock, and truck, tool and hardware, delivered strong performance. Consumable, usable and edible categories outperformed the company average.
Digital sales grew 16% in the third quarter, supported by initiatives such as a partnership with Instacart for delivery of pet supplies and farm essentials.
Big-ticket and companion animal categories remained soft, though companion animal trends steadily improved since the first quarter.
Margins, Profitability Impacted
Gross profit increased 2.6% to $1.42 billion, while gross margin declined to 36.4% from 37.4% a year earlier.
The gross margin was impacted by higher transportation and fuel costs and incremental investments to strengthen the company’s price-value position.
Net income declined 13.3% to $224.7 million, while diluted earnings per share declined to 43 cents from 49 cents a year earlier.
Cash and cash equivalents stood at $198.9 million at the end of the quarter, up from $184.6 million a year earlier.
During the quarter, Tractor Supply opened 23 new Tractor Supply stores and closed 74 PetSense by Tractor Supply stores.
The company returned $213.4 million to shareholders through $124.9 million in dividends and $88.5 million in share repurchases.
Management Commentary, Operational Highlights
Management emphasized taking material actions to improve gross margin and offset inflationary pressures and is targeting over $75 million in incremental Selling, general and administrative expense reductions over 2027 and 2028.
Management expects further sequential comparable sales improvement in the fourth quarter, subject to weather and consumer uncertainty.
The company expanded its Pet Assortment to include more than 200 new dog and cat products.
Reaffirms 2026 Outlook
For fiscal 2026, Tractor Supply forecast adjusted earnings of $1.90 to $2 per share, compared to the analyst consensus estimate of $1.94.
The company also affirmed its GAAP earnings outlook of $1.78 to $1.88 per share.
Tractor Supply expects full-year sales of $15.912 billion to $16.067 billion, compared to the $15.980 billion consensus estimate.
Tractor Supply is projecting net sales growth of 2.5% to 3.5%, while comparable store sales growth is expected to contract by 1% or remain flat.
The company updated its planned net capital expenditures to $675 million to $700 million and share repurchases to $425 million to $450 million.
TSCO Price Action: Tractor Supply shares were up 4.68% at $34.22 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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