Deere & Company $DE Shares Acquired by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 659.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 245,374 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 213,049 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $114,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in Deere & Company in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, United Community Bank increased its position in shares of Deere & Company by 67.3% during the third quarter. United Community Bank now owns 92 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deere & Company Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Deere & Company stock opened at $569.42 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market cap of $153.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.96. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $404.42 and a fifty-two week high of $674.19. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $574.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $506.98.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $9.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.50 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 10.29%.Deere & Company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deere & Company

In other Deere & Company news, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $10,603,920. The trade was a 36.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.49, for a total transaction of $20,797,793.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 117,970 shares in the company, valued at $59,160,775.30. This trade represents a 26.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on DE. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Evercore restated a “positive” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, November 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Deere & Company from $560.00 to $730.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $715.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $644.70.

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.