Lifeworks Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Lifeworks Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 21.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,830 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,210 shares during the period. Lifeworks Advisors LLC's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $2,894,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of DE. Everence Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Deere & Company by 148.3% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC lifted its position in Deere & Company by 157.5% during the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 884,237 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $369,019,000 after acquiring an additional 540,874 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth $254,000. Toronto Dominion Bank raised 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 buying an additional 1,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp raised its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 53.8% in the third quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 4,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,669,000 after buying an additional 1,400 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 related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at $37,484,675.58. This represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $501.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of Deere & Company from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, March 1st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of Deere & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $457.22.

Deere & Company Stock Up 3.5 %

Shares of DE stock traded up $16.89 during trading on Friday, reaching $499.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,615,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,513,524. 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 company has a market capitalization of $135.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $461.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $430.21. Deere & Company has a 1-year low of $340.20 and a 1-year high of $515.05.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 27.31%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Stockholders 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 1.30%. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.72%.

Deere & 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.