Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 62.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,217 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 33,985 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $8,566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DE. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Deere & Company by 32.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,352,465 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,068,404,000 after buying an additional 1,782,984 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,542,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,895,518,000 after purchasing an additional 988,380 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $296,232,000. Stockbridge Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 157.5% in the 3rd quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 884,237 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $369,019,000 after purchasing an additional 540,874 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 52,200.3% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 530,848 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $224,920,000 after purchasing an additional 529,833 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Up 3.5 %

DE stock opened at $499.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $461.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $429.44. The company has a market cap of $135.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. Deere & Company has a twelve month low of $340.20 and a twelve month high of $515.05.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 12.94%. Analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.72%.

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of Deere & Company stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,484,675.58. The trade was a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Deere & Company from $401.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays boosted their price target on Deere & Company from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $510.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, December 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $457.22.

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.