Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. Lowers Holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. cut its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,021 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $402,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Group LLC lifted its stake in Deere & Company by 264.7% in the 2nd quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 62 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of Deere & Company stock opened at $400.87 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $385.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $382.79. Deere & Company has a 12-month low of $345.55 and a 12-month high of $450.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The firm has a market cap of $111.59 billion, a PE ratio of 11.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.04.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.19 by $1.04. Deere & Company had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 44.60%. The firm had revenue of $10.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.30 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.55 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Deere & Company will post 27.39 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on DE. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $435.00 to $425.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $450.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $430.00 price target on the stock. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, 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. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $433.28.

Deere & Company Profile

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.