Hershey Financial Advisers LLC Acquires Shares of 4,010 Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Hershey Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,010 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,699,000. Deere & Company makes up about 1.5% of Hershey Financial Advisers LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Deere & Company by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $426,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Deere & Company by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC now owns 8,212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,479,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in Deere & Company by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 889 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $377,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 557 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DE has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, March 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $510.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $401.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $501.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $546.00 target price (down from $550.00) on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $460.00.

Deere & Company Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:DE opened at $471.90 on Monday. 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 has a 12 month low of $340.20 and a 12 month high of $515.05. The company has a market cap of $128.08 billion, a PE ratio of 20.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $473.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $436.88.

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

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is 28.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction of $12,304,993.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,484,675.58. The trade was a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

About Deere & Company

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.