Deere & Company $DE Shares Acquired by Prospera Financial Services Inc

Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 11.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,916 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,202 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $10,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Breakwater Capital Group raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 9.4% in the third quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 1,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $867,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Deere & Company by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 153 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC raised its position in Deere & Company by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Financial Strategies LLC now owns 584 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,190,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 1,248 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $591,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deere & Company Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of Deere & Company stock opened at $593.11 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $500.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $485.13. Deere & Company has a 12-month low of $404.42 and a 12-month high of $593.76. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The stock has a market cap of $160.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.04, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.02.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The industrial products company reported $3.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.55 earnings per share. Deere & Company’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $543.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Deere & Company from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $530.00 to $520.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target 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. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $524.20.

Insider Transactions at Deere & Company

In related news, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider owned 20,792 shares in the company, valued at $10,603,920. This trade represents a 36.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,970 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,160,775.30. This trade represents a 26.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 64,578 shares of company stock worth $32,471,682 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.