Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Shares Sold by Heartland Bank & Trust Co

Heartland Bank & Trust Co reduced its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 45.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 878 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 719 shares during the period. Heartland Bank & Trust Co's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 68.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on DE shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Deere & Company from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $542.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Deere & Company from $490.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Melius raised Deere & Company from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Deere & Company from $550.00 to $525.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $515.19.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of DE stock traded down $4.32 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $520.66. 1,387,433 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,386,710. The company has a market cap of $141.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 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 company's 50 day moving average is $495.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $470.82. Deere & Company has a 1 year low of $340.20 and a 1 year high of $533.78.

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

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.35%.

Deere & Company Company Profile

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.