Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Stake Decreased by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB decreased its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 5.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,962 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,311 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $11,755,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 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 acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Deere & Company by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $432,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Deere & Company by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 2,936 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,244,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pineridge Advisors LLC increased its position in 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. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Argus set a $510.00 price objective on Deere & Company in a research note on Friday, March 7th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $542.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $495.00 to $556.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Deere & Company from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $515.19.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

DE traded down $3.83 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $517.01. 764,842 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,395,788. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $483.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $467.81. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $340.20 and a 12 month high of $533.78. The stock has a market cap of $140.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.98.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.72 by $0.92. Deere & Company had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 27.31%. The company had revenue of $11.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.53 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.35%.

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.