Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Purchases 22,312 Shares of Deere & Company $DE

Key Points

• Douglass Winthrop Advisors increased its Deere stake by 7.8%, buying 22,312 shares to hold 309,425 shares worth about $141.49 million, making DE its 14th-largest holding.
• Several analysts sharply raised price targets (e.g., Morgan Stanley to $730, RBC to $736, Raymond James $765, DA Davidson $775), leaving a MarketBeat consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $644.70 target.
• Insiders sold sizable positions in January — CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares for roughly $20.8 million and another insider sold 12,000 shares — with insider ownership at about 0.29%.

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 7.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 309,425 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 22,312 shares during the period. Deere & Company makes up 2.5% of Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC owned about 0.11% of Deere & Company worth $141,488,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 69.2% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. United Community Bank raised its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 67.3% in the third quarter. United Community Bank now owns 92 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Lynch Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on Deere & Company from $520.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Deere & Company from $560.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $541.00 to $736.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $580.00 to $775.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $644.70.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John C. May II sold 41,472 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.49, for a total value of $20,797,793.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 117,970 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,160,775.30. This represents a 26.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Cory J. Reed sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $510.00, for a total transaction of $6,120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 20,792 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,603,920. The trade was a 36.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Deere & Company Trading Up 0.2%

DE opened at $593.85 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The stock's fifty day moving average is $559.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $501.76. The company has a market capitalization of $160.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.47, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.96. Deere & Company has a 52 week low of $404.42 and a 52 week high of $674.19.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.52. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 10.29%.The business had revenue of $9.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio is 36.53%.

Deere & Company News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Industry tailwinds — a new precision-agriculture market report forecasts the market to grow to $17.29B by 2031 (CAGR ~10.5%), driven by AI-enabled agronomy, hardware demand for guidance/steering, and rising farm sustainability spending; this underscores durable end-market demand for Deere’s precision products and software. Precision Agriculture Research Report 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell sharply in February (down ~21% to ~4.99M shares), reducing bearish positioning and the potential for a protracted short squeeze dynamic; lower short interest can support price stability and reduce downside volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Product/operations update — John Deere rolled out an Extended Reality (XR) training system, which could cut operator training costs, speed dealer/service onboarding, and support after-sales revenue growth. John Deere launches Extended Reality Training System
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst conversation — a recent roundup highlights coverage and varied analyst views on Deere; these discussions may influence short-term sentiment but contain mixed takeaways rather than a clear directional catalyst. Beyond The Numbers: 11 Analysts Discuss Deere Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative performance note — a MarketWatch piece flags that DE has underperformed some peers over a recent session despite daily gains, signaling investors should monitor sector rotation and peer comparisons for short-term moves. Deere & Co. stock underperforms Monday
• Negative Sentiment: Legal setback — an appeals court wiped out a prior patent-invalidity ruling Deere had won involving a crop harvester; loss of IP protection can increase competitive risks and potential litigation costs, a material negative for long-term margins in certain product lines. Deere’s Crop Harvester Patent Invalidity Win Wiped Out on Appeal
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target cut — Citigroup reduced its price target on DE to $625, which may cap upside in the near term and influence investor expectations even if the new target remains above current trading levels. Citigroup Lowers Deere & Company Price Target to $625.00

Deere & 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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