Deere & Company $DE Shares Acquired by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC grew its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 28,435 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 897 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $13,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DE. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its position in Deere & Company by 69.2% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new position in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $530.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $715.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $540.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $535.00 to $775.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $655.45.

Deere & Company Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:DE opened at $562.12 on Monday. Deere & Company has a 12-month low of $433.00 and a 12-month high of $674.19. The company has a market capitalization of $151.83 billion, a PE ratio of 31.69, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50 day moving average of $580.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $537.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.52. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 10.29%.The company had revenue of $9.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. Deere & Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 18.01 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is presently 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.