Deere & Company $DE Holdings Boosted by Captrust Financial Advisors

Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 5.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 224,984 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,812 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors owned approximately 0.08% of Deere & Company worth $102,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in Deere & Company by 69.2% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new position in Deere & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, United Community Bank grew its stake in Deere & Company by 67.3% during the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 92 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:DE opened at $574.55 on Wednesday. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $404.42 and a 12 month high of $674.19. The firm has a market cap of $155.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.39, a P/E/G 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. The company’s 50 day moving average is $568.12 and its 200-day moving average is $504.39.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.52. Deere & Company had a net margin of 10.29% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The business had revenue of $9.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. Deere & Company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is currently 36.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $480.00 to $460.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $715.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $540.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $535.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $644.70.

Insider Transactions at Deere & Company

In other news, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,160,775.30. This trade represents a 26.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the firm’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 in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,920. This represents a 36.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.