Sentry LLC Raises Position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Sentry LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 153.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,759 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the quarter. Sentry LLC's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $826,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 68.58% of the company's stock.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of DE stock traded up $1.90 on Thursday, hitting $525.02. 959,476 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,390,817. The firm has a market cap of $142.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.40, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 1.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $492.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $469.71. Deere & Company has a 52 week low of $340.20 and a 52 week high of $533.78.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.72 by $0.92. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 24.39% and a net margin of 12.40%. The firm had revenue of $11.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.53 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. Deere & Company's payout ratio is 31.35%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on DE. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Bank of America raised their price target on Deere & Company from $495.00 to $556.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $462.00 to $440.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $490.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of Deere & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Deere & Company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $515.19.

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.