Tredje AP fonden Cuts Position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Tredje AP fonden trimmed its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 245,224 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,135 shares during the quarter. Deere & Company accounts for approximately 0.9% of Tredje AP fonden’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $103,901,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $3,068,404,000 after buying an additional 1,782,984 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 27.8% during 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 buying an additional 988,380 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $296,232,000. Stockbridge Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 157.5% during the 3rd quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 884,237 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $369,019,000 after buying an additional 540,874 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 52,200.3% during 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 buying an additional 529,833 shares during the period. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deere & Company

In other news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, 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 link. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Deere & Company Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE DE opened at $471.49 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $127.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. Deere & Company has a 12-month low of $340.20 and a 12-month high of $515.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $464.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $431.94.

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

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is currently 28.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Deere & Company from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Baird R W lowered Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Deere & Company from $401.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Deere & Company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $460.00.

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.