Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Stake Lowered by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 66.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,309 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,460 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $1,402,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pineridge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 60.5% during the fourth quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 69 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on DE. StockNews.com downgraded Deere & Company from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $480.00 to $450.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $546.00 price target (down previously from $550.00) on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Deere & Company from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $460.21.

Deere & Company Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of DE stock traded down $5.59 on Friday, hitting $458.92. The stock had a trading volume of 983,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,421,535. The stock's 50 day moving average is $467.21 and its 200-day moving average is $446.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.00. Deere & Company has a 52-week low of $340.20 and a 52-week high of $515.05. 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 (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 12.94%. As a group, research analysts expect that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company's payout ratio is 28.72%.

Insider Activity

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the company'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 transaction of $12,304,993.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at $37,484,675.58. This represents a 24.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Deere & Company Company Profile

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.