CSM Advisors LLC Acquires 4,239 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

CSM Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,657 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,239 shares during the quarter. CSM Advisors LLC's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $14,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DE. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Deere & Company by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $3,479,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 889 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 0.3% in the 4th 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 boosted its holdings in Deere & Company by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 557 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $501.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com cut Deere & Company from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 6th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Deere & Company from $462.00 to $440.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Deere & Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $460.21.

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of DE stock traded down $1.68 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $457.62. 306,573 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,418,821. The company's 50 day moving average price is $467.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $446.72. The company has a market cap of $124.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.22. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $340.20 and a 12 month high of $515.05.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 27.31%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 given a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.