Benjamin Edwards Inc. Grows Holdings in Deere & Company $DE

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,577 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $9,385,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA acquired a new position in Deere & Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in Deere & Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its stake in Deere & Company by 406.7% during the 2nd quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 76 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on DE shares. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Deere & Company from $520.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Evercore ISI reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $542.00 to $541.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Deere & Company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $524.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John C. May II sold 11,106 shares of Deere & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.08, for a total transaction of $5,553,888.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 112,453 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,235,496.24. This trade represents a 8.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Deere & Company stock opened at $501.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $135.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.00. Deere & Company has a one year low of $403.01 and a one year high of $533.78. The business has a fifty day moving average of $474.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $482.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a current ratio of 2.22.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The industrial products company reported $3.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by ($0.03). Deere & Company had a net margin of 11.00% and a return on equity of 20.54%. The company had revenue of $12.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.55 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.01%.

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.