United Asset Strategies Inc. Purchases 3,592 Shares of Deere & Company $DE

United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 50.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,718 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 3,592 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $4,990,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Deere & Company by 69.2% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, United Community Bank increased its position in shares of Deere & Company by 67.3% during the third quarter. United Community Bank now owns 92 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on DE shares. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $715.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Friday, February 20th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $580.00 to $775.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $521.00 to $615.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $502.00 to $672.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $655.45.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of DE opened at $580.27 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $156.74 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.21. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $433.00 and a fifty-two week high of $674.19. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $594.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $524.44.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.52. The business had revenue of $9.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.50 billion. Deere & Company had a net margin of 10.29% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The business’s revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 36.53%.

Deere & Company 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.