Ruggaard & Associates LLC Sells 184 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Ruggaard & Associates LLC decreased its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 18.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 837 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 184 shares during the quarter. Ruggaard & Associates LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DE. Pineridge Advisors LLC increased its position in Deere & Company by 60.5% in 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 during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. 68.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Deere & Company

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of Deere & Company 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,484,675.58. The trade was a 24.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Down 3.8 %

Shares of DE stock opened at $430.25 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $476.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $442.09. Deere & Company has a 1-year low of $340.20 and a 1-year high of $515.05. The company has a market cap of $116.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.00. 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 (NYSE:DE) last issued its quarterly 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $501.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Argus set a $510.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Baird R W lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Deere & Company from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $460.00.

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.