Shelton Capital Management Increases Stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Shelton Capital Management raised its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 32.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,324 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 4,500 shares during the period. Shelton Capital Management's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $7,764,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Everence Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Deere & Company by 148.3% during the 4th quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,223 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,179,000 after acquiring an additional 7,300 shares during the period. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 1.5% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 86,952 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $36,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,291 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 55,170 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $23,376,000 after buying an additional 2,964 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Pictet & Cie SA raised its holdings in Deere & Company by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 78,274 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,165,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company's stock.

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Insider Transactions at Deere & Company

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total value of $12,304,993.80. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. This represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Deere & Company Price Performance

DE stock traded up $11.25 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $470.38. The stock had a trading volume of 320,290 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,428,846. Deere & Company has a 52-week low of $340.20 and a 52-week high of $515.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $470.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $443.51. The company has a market cap of $127.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company's payout ratio is 28.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Argus set a $510.00 price objective on Deere & Company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $462.00 to $440.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $501.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Baird R W cut shares of Deere & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Deere & Company from $480.00 to $450.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $457.26.

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.