RD Lewis Holdings Inc. Takes $1.02 Million Position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

RD Lewis Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,192 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,021,000. Deere & Company comprises 1.2% of RD Lewis Holdings Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $344,000. Claro Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 11.5% during the third quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 1,293 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Prudent Man Advisors LLC raised its stake in Deere & Company by 69.5% during the third quarter. Prudent Man Advisors LLC now owns 2,203 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $919,000 after buying an additional 903 shares during the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank raised its stake in Deere & Company by 9.1% during the third quarter. First Western Trust Bank now owns 716 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Deere & Company during the third quarter worth $376,000. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DE traded down $5.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $471.90. 1,684,992 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,362,443. Deere & Company has a 1-year low of $340.20 and a 1-year high of $515.05. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $128.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.92, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company's 50-day moving average price is $473.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $436.21.

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Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 EPS 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, sell-side analysts expect that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company's payout ratio is currently 28.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on DE shares. Baird R W cut shares of Deere & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Deere & Company from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $460.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of Deere & Company 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at $37,484,675.58. This trade represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

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.