Humankind Investments LLC Sells 1,294 Shares of Deere & Company $DE

Key Points

• Humankind Investments LLC reduced its stake in Deere & Company by 17.3%, now holding 6,173 shares valued at approximately $2.9 million.
• Deere & Company's most recent earnings report showed an earnings per share (EPS) of $4.75, exceeding analyst expectations, but revenue declined by 9% year-over-year.
• Despite a slight drop in stock price, analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Deere & Company, with price targets ranging from $488 to $540.

Humankind Investments LLC lowered its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 17.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,173 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,294 shares during the period. Deere & Company makes up 0.8% of Humankind Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Humankind Investments LLC's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $2,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 1.2% in the first quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 3,842 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,804,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Credit Agricole S A lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 1.3% in the first quarter. Credit Agricole S A now owns 128,688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $60,400,000 after purchasing an additional 1,625 shares in the last quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 9.1% in the first quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 29,355 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $13,799,000 after purchasing an additional 2,447 shares in the last quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 32.1% in the first quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 105,313 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $49,429,000 after purchasing an additional 25,582 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 1.2% in the first quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 71,516 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,042,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company's stock.

Deere & Company Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:DE traded up $8.3320 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $495.0920. 1,133,367 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,461,202. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.19. Deere & Company has a 52-week low of $374.46 and a 52-week high of $533.78. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $508.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $490.43. The company has a market capitalization of $134.09 billion, a PE ratio of 25.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.06.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The industrial products company reported $4.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.62 by $0.13. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 21.97% and a net margin of 11.72%.The company had revenue of $10.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.29 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on DE. Evercore ISI set a $491.00 target price on Deere & Company in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered Deere & Company from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Deere & Company from $550.00 to $525.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Deere & Company from $490.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $523.87.

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.