Tractor Supply (Nasdaq: TSCO) will try to beat its earnings estimates for the fifth consecutive quarter. The company will unveil its latest earnings on Wednesday, July 20. Tractor Supply is an operator of retail farm and ranch stores in the United States and is focused on supplying the lifestyle needs of recreational farmers and ranchers and those who enjoy the rural lifestyle, as well as tradesmen and small businesses.

What analysts say:

  • Buy, sell, or hold?: Analysts strongly back Tractor Supply, with 12 of 20 rating it a buy and the remainder rating it a hold. Analysts like Tractor Supply better than competitor Lumber Liquidators overall. Wall Street has warmed to the stock over the past three months, with analysts increasing their endorsement from hold to a moderate buy.
  • Revenue forecasts: On average, analysts predict $1.19 billion in revenue this quarter. That would represent a rise of 11.2% from the year-ago quarter.
  • Wall Street earnings expectations: The average analyst estimate is earnings of $1.19 per share. Estimates range from $1.12 to $1.23.

What our community says:
CAPS All-Stars are solidly backing the stock, with 93.7% assigning it an "outperform" rating. The community at large concurs with the All-Stars, with 89.7% awarding it a rating of "outperform." Fools are keen on Tractor Supply and haven't been shy with their opinions lately, logging 107 posts in the past 30 days. Despite the majority sentiment in favor of Tractor Supply, the stock has a middling CAPS rating of three out of five stars.

Management:
Tractor Supply's profit has risen year over year by an average of 53.4%.

Now let's look at how efficient management is at running the business. Traditionally, margins represent the efficiency with which companies capture portions of sales dollars. The following table shows gross, operating, and net margins over the past four quarters. 

Quarter Q1 Q4 Q3 Q2
Gross Margin 32.7% 32.6% 33.7% 33.7%
Operating Margin 3.4% 7.6% 6.1% 11.5%
Net Margin 2.2% 4.9% 3.9% 7.2%
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