Deere & Company $DE Shares Acquired by Westpac Banking Corp

Key Points

• Westpac Banking Corp boosted its Deere & Company stake by 78.6% in the fourth quarter, while several other institutional investors also increased holdings. Institutional ownership remains high at about 68.6% of shares outstanding.
• Analysts have turned more constructive on DE, with multiple firms raising price targets; the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $638.08.
• Deere recently reported strong fiscal Q2 results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and investors are also reacting positively to lower tariffs on imported farm and construction equipment plus an unchanged FY2026 profit outlook.

Westpac Banking Corp increased its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 78.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,925 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,047 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $3,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DE. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $1,715,633,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Deere & Company by 1,725.8% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,003,715 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $932,870,000 after buying an additional 1,893,972 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in Deere & Company by 1,199.8% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,864,701 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $868,149,000 after buying an additional 1,721,239 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Deere & Company by 278.0% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 487,697 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $223,005,000 after buying an additional 358,687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Deere & Company by 21.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,815,007 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $829,930,000 after buying an additional 323,512 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on DE shares. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on Deere & Company from $550.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Barclays upped their price objective on Deere & Company from $530.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Deere & Company from $521.00 to $615.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Deere & Company from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on Deere & Company from $765.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Deere & Company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $638.08.

Key Deere & Company News

Here are the key news stories impacting Deere & Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The biggest driver was the U.S. government’s decision to reduce tariffs on imported farm and construction equipment, which should lower costs and support demand for Deere’s machinery. US Lowers Tariffs to Boost Investment in Industrial Economy
• Positive Sentiment: Investors also appear to be refocusing on Deere’s strong fiscal Q2 results, including earnings of $6.55 per share versus expectations of $5.70, along with management’s unchanged full-year FY2026 profit outlook of $4.5 billion to $5.0 billion. Deere jumps as investors refocus on Q2 beat, steady FY26 outlook, and construction strength
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst sentiment remains constructive, with RBC Capital reiterating an outperform rating and lifting its price target to $752, implying additional upside from current levels. Deere & Company had its "outperform" rating reaffirmed by Royal Bank Of Canada
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary also suggests Deere is benefiting from strength in construction equipment and a tariff refund related to IEEPA, but these appear secondary to the earnings and tariff headlines. Deere reaps benefits of IEEPA tariff refund and construction demand
• Neutral Sentiment: One article questioned whether DE is underperforming the industrials sector, but it did not introduce a clear new negative catalyst. Deere & Company Stock: Is DE Underperforming the Industrials Sector?

Deere & Company Stock Up 6.7%

NYSE:DE opened at $578.97 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $156.29 billion, a PE ratio of 32.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $571.78 and a 200-day moving average of $542.99. Deere & Company has a 52 week low of $433.00 and a 52 week high of $674.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.18, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The industrial products company reported $6.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.70 by $0.85. The company had revenue of $13.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.55 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 10.09%.The business's revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.64 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 18.08 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio is 36.71%.

Deere & Company Company Profile

Deere & Company, commonly known by its brand John Deere, is a global manufacturer of agricultural, construction and forestry machinery, as well as turf care equipment and power systems. Founded in 1837 by blacksmith John Deere—who developed a polished steel plow to improve tillage in tough prairie soils—the company is headquartered in Moline, Illinois, and has grown into one of the largest and most recognizable names in equipment manufacturing worldwide.

The company's principal businesses include a broad portfolio of agricultural equipment such as tractors, combines, planters, sprayers, harvesters and tillage implements, complemented by precision agriculture technologies and telematics that support farm management, yield optimization and equipment connectivity.

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