Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Sells 1,029 Shares of Deere & Company $DE

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 62.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 615 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,029 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DE. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Deere & Company during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the second quarter worth $27,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 69.2% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its position in Deere & Company by 406.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new stake in Deere & Company in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deere & Company Stock Up 0.7%

DE stock opened at $602.54 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. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $510.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $487.67. The company has a market cap of $163.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.02. Deere & Company has a twelve month low of $404.42 and a twelve month high of $626.25.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 20.54% and a net margin of 11.00%.The company had revenue of $12.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.55 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $580.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Deere & Company from $542.00 to $541.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $480.00 to $460.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $440.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $524.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.49, for a total value 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. This represents a 26.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.00, for a total transaction of $6,120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 20,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,603,920. This trade represents a 36.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 64,578 shares of company stock worth $32,471,682 over the last 90 days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.