Umpqua Bank Raises Stock Position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Umpqua Bank raised its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,049 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $2,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DE. Pineridge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Deere & Company by 60.5% in the fourth quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 69 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 155.8% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 110 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DE opened at $471.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $340.20 and a fifty-two week high of $515.05. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $473.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $436.21. The company has a market cap of $128.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current 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 issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DE. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $510.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Argus set a $510.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $501.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $460.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. This trade represents a 24.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company 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.