William Blair Confirms Outperform Rating on Tractor Supply Co.

William Blair & Co. put out an analyst note confirming its Outperform on Tractor Supply Company TSCO. Reporting from William Blair's 30th Annual Growth Stock Conference, "a positive presentation from CFO Anthony Crudele focused on 2010 sales and margin drivers as well as Tractor Supply’s long-term unit expansion opportunity." Key take-aways from the Conference include Tractor Supply's initiatives to improve gross margin and management's reiteration of the potential for 1,800 stores in the United States, which is almost double the 920 stores currently. In its note, William Blair asserts that "Tractor Supply enjoys a square-footage growth opportunity greater than most publicly traded retailing companies."