Sapient Capital LLC Has $17.28 Million Position in Deere & Company $DE

Sapient Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 3.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 27,173 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 844 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $17,281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in Deere & Company during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Timmons Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Portus Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of DE stock opened at $622.04 on Monday. Deere & Company has a twelve month low of $433.00 and a twelve month high of $674.19. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $599.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $584.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.90.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.55 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 10.09%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.64 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 18.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective 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. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $575.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $672.00 to $607.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $680.00 price target (down from $715.00) on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $752.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $642.98.

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.