First Community Trust NA Raises Stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

First Community Trust NA lifted its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 116.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 28,983 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,583 shares during the quarter. Deere & Company makes up 8.8% of First Community Trust NA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. First Community Trust NA’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $12,280,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DE. Acropolis Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 3,263 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in shares of Deere & Company by 38.0% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,340 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $568,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in Deere & Company by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,724 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,001,000 after acquiring an additional 1,328 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Deere & Company by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,084 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $459,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Deere & Company by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 33,929 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,376,000 after buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DE opened at $432.17 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $429.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $400.87. The company has a market cap of $117.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.98. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $340.20 and a 12 month high of $469.39.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The industrial products company reported $4.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.89 by $0.66. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.20 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 31.32% and a net margin of 13.73%. Deere & Company’s quarterly revenue was down 32.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.41 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. This is an increase from Deere & Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is presently 25.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on DE. Truist Financial raised their price target on Deere & Company from $538.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $420.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Deere & Company from $448.00 to $477.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Deere & Company from $470.00 to $430.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $441.72.

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.