Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Sells 5,296 Shares of Deere & Company $DE

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 79.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,406 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,296 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the third quarter worth $25,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new stake in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in Deere & Company by 69.2% in the third 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 last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Deere & Company in the third quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DE has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group boosted their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $550.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $736.00 to $752.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $543.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $638.08.

Deere & Company Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE DE opened at $542.34 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $572.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $542.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market cap of $146.49 billion, a PE ratio of 30.73, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.96. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $433.00 and a 12 month high of $674.19.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.70 by $0.85. The firm had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.55 billion. Deere & Company had a net margin of 10.09% and a return on equity of 18.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.64 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 18.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 36.71%.

Deere & Company 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.