Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Shares Sold by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lessened its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,861 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,251 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $18,214,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DE. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 32.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,352,465 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,068,404,000 after purchasing an additional 1,782,984 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 27.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,542,013 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,895,518,000 after acquiring an additional 988,380 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $296,232,000. Stockbridge Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 157.5% in the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 884,237 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $369,019,000 after acquiring an additional 540,874 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 52,200.3% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 530,848 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $224,920,000 after acquiring an additional 529,833 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total value of $12,304,993.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,484,675.58. This represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on Deere & Company from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $501.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Baird R W cut Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Deere & Company from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $457.22.

Deere & Company Stock Up 3.5 %

NYSE:DE opened at $499.73 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $135.63 billion, a PE ratio of 22.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $461.21 and a 200-day moving average of $429.83. Deere & Company has a 52 week low of $340.20 and a 52 week high of $515.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 12.94%. Analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.72%.

Deere & Company Profile

Deere & Co engages in the manufacture and distribution of equipment used in agriculture, construction, forestry, and turf care. It operates through the following segments: Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Agriculture and Turf segment focuses on the distribution and manufacture of a full line of agriculture and turf equipment and related service parts.