Davis R M Inc. Buys 1,048 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Davis R M Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,492 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the quarter. Davis R M Inc.'s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $20,123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Deere & Company by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $426,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Deere & Company by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC now owns 8,212 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,479,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 889 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Deere & Company by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC raised its stake in Deere & Company by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 557 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on DE. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Deere & Company from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $501.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Argus set a $510.00 target price on Deere & Company in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Deere & Company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $460.00.

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the company'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 value of $12,304,993.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. This represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Deere & Company stock traded down $0.75 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $474.75. 1,037,583 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,516,542. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $463.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $431.66. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $340.20 and a fifty-two week high of $515.05. The stock has a market cap of $128.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.72%.

Deere & Company Company Profile

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.