Fiduciary Group LLC Buys 346 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Fiduciary Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,977 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $1,685,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $426,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC now owns 8,212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,479,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 889 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 557 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Deere & Company Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DE opened at $479.73 on Thursday. Deere & Company has a 12-month low of $340.20 and a 12-month high of $515.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The company has a market cap of $130.20 billion, a PE ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $470.64 and a 200 day moving average of $435.32.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 12.94%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is 28.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on DE shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $460.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction of $12,304,993.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. This represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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.