Deere & Company $DE Shares Sold by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lowered its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 4.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,106 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,030 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $9,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the second quarter worth $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA purchased a new position in Deere & Company in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. grew its stake in Deere & Company by 406.7% during the 2nd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 76 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its stake in Deere & Company by 182.1% during the 2nd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 79 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of DE opened at $515.34 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $139.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.00. Deere & Company has a 52-week low of $404.42 and a 52-week high of $533.78. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $477.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $481.90.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 26th. The industrial products company reported $3.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.96 by ($0.03). Deere & Company had a return on equity of 20.54% and a net margin of 11.00%.The company had revenue of $12.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.55 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is 35.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deere & Company

In other news, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.49, for a total value of $20,797,793.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,160,775.30. The trade was a 26.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.00, for a total value of $6,120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 20,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,920. This trade represents a 36.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 64,578 shares of company stock valued at $32,471,682 in the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on DE. Wolfe Research increased their price target on Deere & Company from $520.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $512.00 to $531.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $580.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI restated a “positive” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, November 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $524.20.

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.