Good Life Advisors LLC Increases Position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Good Life Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,049 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $1,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in Deere & Company during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Retirement Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 264.7% in the second quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 62 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Deere & Company in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE:DE traded up $1.60 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $410.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,423,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,531,753. The business’s 50 day moving average is $379.82 and its 200 day moving average is $381.32. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $345.55 and a fifty-two week high of $450.00. The stock has a market cap of $114.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.03. 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 (NYSE:DE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.19 by $1.04. The firm had revenue of $10.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.30 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 44.60% and a net margin of 16.38%. The firm’s revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 27.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th will be given a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on DE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $445.00 to $425.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $430.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $450.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $431.69.

About Deere & Company

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.