Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Has $18 Million Stake in Deere & Company $DE

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lowered its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,666 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,260 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $18,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new position in Deere & Company during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Price Performance

DE opened at $583.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.18 and a quick ratio of 1.95. The company has a market capitalization of $157.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $572.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $545.60. Deere & Company has a 1 year low of $433.00 and a 1 year high of $674.19.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.55 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.64 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 18.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is currently 36.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DE shares. UBS Group lifted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $560.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $550.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $752.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $560.00 to $590.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Deere & Company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $639.58.

About Deere & Company

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.