Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Shares Sold by Motco

Motco cut its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 14.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,917 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Motco’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $1,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of DE. Pineridge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Deere & Company by 60.5% during the fourth quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 69 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of DE opened at $480.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.98. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $340.20 and a 12 month high of $515.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $456.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $424.69. The company has a market cap of $130.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.98.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share (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, research analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Deere & Company from $401.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. StockNews.com lowered Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. 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 research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $454.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deere & Company

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction of $12,304,993.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. The trade was a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.