Washington Trust Advisors Inc. Sells 935 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,512 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 935 shares during the period. Deere & Company comprises approximately 2.5% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $29,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $426,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC raised its position in Deere & Company by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC now owns 8,212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,479,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC raised its position in Deere & Company by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 889 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Deere & Company by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Round Rock Advisors LLC raised its position in Deere & Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on DE shares. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $501.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday. 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 research report on Friday, February 14th. Baird R W lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $457.22.

Insider Transactions at Deere & Company

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction of $12,304,993.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares in the company, 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 at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of DE opened at $468.08 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $127.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.98. Deere & Company has a twelve month low of $340.20 and a twelve month high of $515.05. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $458.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $428.17.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 27.31%. As a group, analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is currently 28.72%.

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.