Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Shares Sold by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 773 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $7,063,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Essex Savings Bank grew its position in Deere & Company by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 5,367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,146,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 1,879 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $751,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Simplicity Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 5,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Chip Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Deere & Company Stock Down 2.5 %

Deere & Company stock traded down $10.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $390.76. The company had a trading volume of 339,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,451,202. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.81. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $345.55 and a fifty-two week high of $450.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $388.66 and its 200-day moving average is $383.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.04.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.19 by $1.04. The business had revenue of $10.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.30 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 44.60% and a net margin of 16.38%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.55 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 27.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on DE shares. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $430.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Deere & Company from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Deere & Company from $425.00 to $401.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Melius downgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $433.28.

Deere & Company Profile

Deere & Company engages in the manufacture and distribution of various equipment worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Production and Precision Agriculture, Small Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Production and Precision Agriculture segment provides large and medium tractors, combines, cotton pickers and strippers, sugarcane harvesters and loaders, harvesting front-end equipment, pull-behind scrapers, and tillage and seeding equipment, as well as application equipment, including sprayers and nutrient management, and soil preparation machinery for grain growers.