Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Decreases Stake in Deere & Company $DE

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL trimmed its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 153,590 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,873 shares during the period. Deere & Company comprises about 1.5% of Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL owned about 0.06% of Deere & Company worth $70,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 52.7% in the 3rd quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 861 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC grew its holdings in Deere & Company by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 638 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI raised its position in shares of Deere & Company by 1.7% during the third quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 6,067 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,774,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Slow Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 0.9% in the third quarter. Slow Capital Inc. now owns 14,879 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,808,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Funds Management LTD lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 47.0% in the third quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD now owns 56,116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,660,000 after buying an additional 17,952 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deere & Company

In other news, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.49, for a total value of $20,797,793.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 117,970 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,160,775.30. This trade represents a 26.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.00, for a total transaction of $6,120,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,792 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,920. The trade was a 36.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 64,578 shares of company stock valued at $32,471,682 over the last ninety days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on DE shares. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $580.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, December 1st. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, November 28th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, December 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $524.20.

Deere & Company Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:DE opened at $514.62 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $139.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.80, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.00. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $404.42 and a 12 month high of $533.78. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $479.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $481.47.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 26th. The industrial products company reported $3.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.96 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $12.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 20.54% and a net margin of 11.00%.The company’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.55 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.01%.

Deere & Company Profile

Deere & Company, commonly known by its brand John Deere, is a global manufacturer of agricultural, construction and forestry machinery, as well as turf care equipment and power systems. Founded in 1837 by blacksmith John Deere—who developed a polished steel plow to improve tillage in tough prairie soils—the company is headquartered in Moline, Illinois, and has grown into one of the largest and most recognizable names in equipment manufacturing worldwide.

The company’s principal businesses include a broad portfolio of agricultural equipment such as tractors, combines, planters, sprayers, harvesters and tillage implements, complemented by precision agriculture technologies and telematics that support farm management, yield optimization and equipment connectivity.