Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Position Increased by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 373,567 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 27,643 shares during the period. Deere & Company makes up about 1.1% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Deere & Company worth $158,280,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pineridge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in Deere & Company by 155.8% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 110 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total value of $12,304,993.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

DE opened at $465.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.22. The company has a market cap of $126.28 billion, a PE ratio of 20.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $477.28 and a 200-day moving average of $439.76. Deere & Company has a 52-week low of $340.20 and a 52-week high of $515.05.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is presently 28.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on DE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. StockNews.com upgraded Deere & Company from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $501.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Argus set a $510.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $460.00.

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.