SageView Advisory Group LLC Increases Stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

SageView Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 20.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,593 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 608 shares during the period. SageView Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $1,522,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pineridge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Deere & Company by 60.5% in the fourth quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 69 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the firm’s 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 trade represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $480.00 to $450.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com lowered Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, April 6th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $501.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Argus set a $510.00 target price on Deere & Company in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $457.26.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of DE opened at $459.75 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $470.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $443.51. Deere & Company has a twelve month low of $340.20 and a twelve month high of $515.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.00.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.72%.

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.