Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd Grows Stock Position in Deere & Company $DE

Key Points

• Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd increased its Q4 stake in Deere by 0.6%, now holding 1,204,248 shares (about 0.44% of Deere) valued at $560.66 million, making DE its sixth-largest holding (8.8% of the fund).
• Deere beat expectations for the quarter with EPS of $2.42 versus $1.90 and revenue of $9.61 billion (up 17.5% year-over-year), triggering several analyst price-target increases and a consensus "Moderate Buy" average target of $655.45.
• Deere declared a quarterly dividend of $1.62 (annualized $6.48, yield ~1.1%) and the stock trades with a market cap of $156.7 billion and a P/E of 32.7.

Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd boosted its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,204,248 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,605 shares during the period. Deere & Company comprises about 8.8% of Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd owned about 0.44% of Deere & Company worth $560,662,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in Deere & Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, United Community Bank increased its stake 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company's stock.

Deere & Company Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of Deere & Company stock opened at $580.27 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.21. Deere & Company has a 52 week low of $433.00 and a 52 week high of $674.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $594.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $524.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.74 billion, a PE ratio of 32.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.98.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.52. The company had revenue of $9.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.50 billion. Deere & Company had a net margin of 10.29% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The firm's revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $560.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Deere & Company from $580.00 to $775.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $765.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Deere & Company from $525.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Deere & Company from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $655.45.

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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