CSM Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

CSM Advisors LLC lifted its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 14.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,657 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,239 shares during the period. CSM Advisors LLC's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $14,261,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DE. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Deere & Company by 6.6% in the third quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,098 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co grew its holdings in Deere & Company by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 9,879 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,131,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares in the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Deere & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,252,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 162.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 21,563 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,999,000 after acquiring an additional 13,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 56.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 38,689 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $16,146,000 after acquiring an additional 13,934 shares during the period. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deere & Company Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Deere & Company stock traded down $5.59 on Friday, reaching $458.92. 983,357 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,421,535. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $467.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $446.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.98. Deere & Company has a 1-year low of $340.20 and a 1-year high of $515.05. The company has a market cap of $124.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.00.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 27.31%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on DE shares. Argus set a $510.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Baird R W downgraded Deere & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $462.00 to $440.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $501.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Deere & Company from $510.00 to $513.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $460.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction of $12,304,993.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. The trade was a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Deere & Company

Deere & Co engages in the manufacture and distribution of equipment used in agriculture, construction, forestry, and turf care. It operates through the following segments: Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Agriculture and Turf segment focuses on the distribution and manufacture of a full line of agriculture and turf equipment and related service parts.