Fisher Funds Management LTD Buys 17,952 Shares of Deere & Company $DE

Fisher Funds Management LTD increased its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 47.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 56,116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,952 shares during the period. Fisher Funds Management LTD’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $25,660,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 406.7% in 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. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 182.1% in 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. Finally, Solstein Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 93.8% in the second quarter. Solstein Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Deere & Company

In other Deere & Company news, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.49, for a total transaction of $20,797,793.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,970 shares in the company, valued at $59,160,775.30. This trade represents a 26.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 20,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,920. This represents a 36.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 64,578 shares of company stock worth $32,471,682 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Evercore ISI reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Friday, November 28th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $580.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $524.20.

Deere & Company Price Performance

DE stock opened at $514.62 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $139.50 billion, a PE ratio of 27.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.00. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $404.42 and a 12 month high of $533.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $479.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $481.47. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68.

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

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

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

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.