Deere & Company $DE Shares Bought by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank raised its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 66,292 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,322 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $30,864,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in Deere & Company by 69.2% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, United Community Bank grew its position in Deere & Company by 67.3% during the 3rd quarter. United Community Bank now owns 92 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DE. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $715.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Deere & Company from $543.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen raised Deere & Company from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Deere & Company from $541.00 to $736.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on Deere & Company from $580.00 to $775.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $644.70.

Insider Transactions at Deere & Company

In other Deere & Company news, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.49, for a total value of $20,797,793.28. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of Deere & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.00, for a total transaction of $6,120,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 20,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,603,920. The trade was a 36.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Deere & Company Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:DE opened at $578.42 on Thursday. Deere & Company has a 1 year low of $404.42 and a 1 year high of $674.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $577.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $508.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.61, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.96.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 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 company had revenue of $9.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued 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%.

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.