Deere & Company $DE Shares Acquired by Capital International Inc. CA

Capital International Inc. CA increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 30.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,590 shares during the period. Capital International Inc. CA’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $24,783,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DE. Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Deere & Company by 69.2% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the second quarter valued at about $41,000. United Community Bank grew its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 67.3% in the third quarter. United Community Bank now owns 92 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lynch Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deere & Company Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:DE opened at $592.69 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.21. The company has a market capitalization of $160.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.96. Deere & Company has a one year low of $404.42 and a one year high of $674.19. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $557.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $501.12.

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

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

In related news, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $59,160,775.30. This represents a 26.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $510.00, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on Deere & Company from $520.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $765.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $540.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $543.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $715.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.