Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC Has $921,000 Stock Holdings in Deere & Company $DE

Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 140.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,007 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,173 shares during the quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DE. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in Deere & Company during the second quarter worth $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Lynch Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deere & Company Trading Up 1.0%

DE opened at $524.44 on Thursday. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $404.42 and a fifty-two week high of $533.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 2.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $142.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.33, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $485.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $482.00.

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

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is presently 35.01%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $510.00, for a total transaction of $6,120,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,792 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,920. This trade represents a 36.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of Deere & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.49, for a total value of $20,797,793.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,970 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,160,775.30. This represents a 26.01% 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 ninety days. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on DE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Deere & Company from $480.00 to $460.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $543.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $520.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Deere & Company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $524.20.

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.