Park National Corp OH Sells 54,713 Shares of Deere & Company $DE

Park National Corp OH reduced its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 61.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,462 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 54,713 shares during the period. Park National Corp OH’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $16,044,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in DE. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in Deere & Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the second quarter worth $27,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

In related news, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $510.00, for a total value of $6,120,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 20,792 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,920. This represents a 36.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.49, for a total transaction of $20,797,793.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,160,775.30. This represents a 26.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Deere & Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Deere & Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamental strength: Deere’s operational momentum remains a tailwind — the company has shown strong revenue growth and past earnings beats, supporting medium-term fundamentals and analyst earnings power. (Background earnings and analyst estimates point to solid profitability and a multi-year growth profile.)
• Positive Sentiment: Potential macro catalyst — a new Farm Bill gaining momentum in Congress could increase federal support for agriculture and agri?tech, which would be a structural tailwind for equipment demand and Deere’s long-term outlook. Farm Bill Providing Big Boost to Agri-Tech Gains Momentum in Congress
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/flow-based buying recently showed strength — a Power Inflow/order-flow signal on 3/18 triggered a >2% intraday rise, indicating institutional/retail demand can spark short-term rallies. Deere Shares Rise Over 2% After Key Trading Signal
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention and analyst writeups: Deere is getting increased coverage and screening interest; research pieces compare Deere with peers (AGCO) on growth, margins and valuation — useful for relative-value decisions but not an immediate directional driver. Deere & Company (DE) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer comparison: Recent articles contrast Deere vs. AGCO to weigh growth, margins and strategy — useful for portfolio allocation but highlights mixed positioning across the sector. Deere vs. AGCO Corp: Which Farm Equipment Stock Is the Better Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term pullback and valuation chatter: Analysts and screens note a short-term price pullback and mixed weekly/monthly returns; some investors point to elevated multiples (P/E near ~32, PEG ~2) as a reason for profit?taking after strong multi?year gains. Assessing Deere (DE) Valuation After Recent Share Price Pullback And Undervaluation Signals

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on DE shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $475.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Deere & Company from $560.00 to $730.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Evercore restated a “positive” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $765.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $644.70.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

NYSE DE opened at $566.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $153.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.96, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. Deere & Company has a twelve month low of $404.42 and a twelve month high of $674.19. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $571.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $505.28.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.52. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 10.29%.The firm had revenue of $9.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect 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 Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is currently 36.53%.

Deere & 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.