J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Raises Holdings in Deere & Company $DE

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,647 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,835 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $31,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in Deere & Company in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its position in Deere & Company by 406.7% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Solstein Capital LLC increased its position in Deere & Company by 93.8% during 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. Finally, Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN purchased a new position in Deere & Company during the second quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:DE opened at $516.51 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. Deere & Company has a 52-week low of $404.42 and a 52-week high of $533.78. The company has a 50 day moving average of $483.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $481.65. The company has a market capitalization of $140.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.00.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $12.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.77 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 20.54% and a net margin of 11.00%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.55 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on DE shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Deere & Company from $488.00 to $467.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Wolfe Research raised their price objective on Deere & Company from $520.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $580.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $524.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of Deere & Company stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,160,775.30. The trade was a 26.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 20,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,603,920. This trade represents a 36.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 64,578 shares of company stock valued at $32,471,682 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.