Savant Capital LLC Decreases Stock Position in Deere & Company $DE

Savant Capital LLC decreased its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,516 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,656 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $6,758,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company in the third quarter worth $25,000. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in Deere & Company by 69.2% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company in the third quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Deere & Company from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on Deere & Company from $535.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Argus increased their target price on Deere & Company from $540.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on Deere & Company from $765.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Deere & Company from $580.00 to $525.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $638.08.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of Deere & Company stock opened at $542.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $146.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $433.00 and a 12 month high of $674.19. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $572.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $542.07.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.70 by $0.85. The firm had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.55 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 10.09%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Deere & Company will post 18.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.71%.

About Deere & Company

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.