Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-29 · Permanent

Tractor Supply logoTractor Supply TSCO

Outside both standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Tractor Supply Company operates as a rural lifestyle retailer in the United States.

The label
Markup

read at $31.46

Tractor Supply holds its Markup at $31.46.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-29
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateElevated stress, defensive posture warranted, held for 24 days
Price$31.46
Valuation16.56 trailing · 15.30 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 10.0
Beta0.46

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads AVOID — it trades at roughly a 1% discount to our $31.63 fair value, narrow competitive moat, 2.30% revenue growth.

Read at
$31.46
16.56 P/E · 15.30 fwd
Our fair value
$31.63
1% discount
Analyst target (avg)
$35.00
+11% to current
Target low $28.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $46.00
▲ current $31.46 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$54.9$39.0$23.0TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$46.00 +49%Analyst avg$35.00 +14%Our fair value$31.63 +3%Conservative$25.20 -18%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$31.46
you are here
Conservative
$25.20
-20%
Analyst avg
$35.00
+11%
Our fair value
$31.63
+1%
Analyst high
$46.00
+46%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as roughly fairly valued here, while the Street is more bullish — a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.

Revenue growth2.30%
Profit margin6.43%
Debt to equity248.71
Analyst consensusBuy · 27 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✗ DOES NOT PASS

Why it fails. The problem is its debt ratio. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is 54.4% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
  • Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is 2.0% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
  • Revenue purity Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Rural retailer trips on its debt test

Picture a store stacked with feed, fencing and supplies for life outside the big cities. Tractor Supply looks like a simple rural bet until the numbers and the screen are checked.

We pass because the ethical screen fails on the debt ratio and that alone ends the case. Revenue grows at just 4 percent, margins sit at 7 percent and the narrow moat offers little shelter in a cyclical retail setting even with a 46 percent ROE.

The 13.8 times forward multiple and analyst targets near 40 dollars draw attention yet peak-cycle earnings and the ethical fail make the modest margin of safety irrelevant. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E15.3x
expensive even after accounting for its growth
Trailing P/E16.6x
reasonably valued
Revenue growth2.3%
slow but positive growth
Profit margin6.4%
thin but positive margins
Return on equity39.5%
an exceptional return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity2.49
heavy leverage — higher risk if revenue softens
Current ratio1.33
adequate liquidity, worth monitoring
Beta0.46
barely tracks the market's swings
Market cap$16.5B
Employees52,000

The risks · The things to watch: it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in TSCO's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

TSCO trades on a US exchange. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 39%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 10%. The street (27 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $47. Entered 2026-07-18 · Distribution

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-18 Distribution $29.78 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 39%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 10%. The street (27 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $47.

2026-07-03 Distribution $29.78 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Distribution $29.78 Entry 1

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · TSCO
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2026-05-14 MORRIS EDNA K Director 9,174 ·
2026-05-14 HAM MARGARET M Director 5,712 ·
2026-05-14 CARDENAS RICARDO Director 5,712 ·
2026-05-14 KRISHNAN RAMKUMAR Director 5,712 ·
2026-05-14 BROWN JOY TAYLOR Director 5,712 ·
2026-05-14 JACKSON DENISE L Director 5,712 ·
2026-05-14 HAWAUX ANDRE J Director 5,712 ·
2026-05-14 SYNGAL SONIA Director 5,712 ·
2026-05-14 WEIKEL MARK J Director 5,712 ·
2026-04-01 HAM MARGARET M Director 289 $13,125

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

The political ledger · congressional disclosures

Disclosures naming TSCO
DatePoliticianPartyTypeAmount
9 Apr2026 Josh Gottheimer Democrat sell 15K–50K
2026-04-09 Josh Gottheimer Democrat Sale 15K–50K
15 May2026 Ro Khanna Democrat buy 1K–15K
1 May2026 Ro Khanna Democrat buy 1K–15K

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $30.01 +2.5% $0.24 $1,033 +3.3%
2 months $44.67 -31.1% $0.24 $694 -30.6%
3 months $47.71 -35.5% $0.24 $650 -35.0%
6 months $51.16 -39.9% $0.48 $611 -38.9%
1 year $50.43 -39.0% $0.94 $629 -37.1%
2 years $52.72 -41.6% $1.84 $619 -38.1%
3 years $41.08 -25.1% $2.69 $814 -18.6%
5 years $33.72 -8.8% $4.05 $1,032 +3.2%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever TSCO does next, these words stay.

Tractor Supply · TSCO · Markup · $31.46
Recorded 2026-07-29 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

Get our weekly market brief free.