Waverly Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Waverly Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,976 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 2,129 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $14,819,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DE. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 8,464 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,586,000 after purchasing an additional 890 shares in the last quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 735 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,601 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. Mandatum Life Insurance Co Ltd now owns 2,938 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mechanics Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 23.8% in the 4th quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 1,776 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $752,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company's stock.

Deere & Company Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of DE opened at $529.58 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $143.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.08. Deere & Company has a 12-month low of $340.20 and a 12-month high of $533.78. The company's 50-day moving average price is $469.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $455.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.72 by $0.92. The firm had revenue of $11.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. Deere & Company had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 27.31%. Deere & Company's revenue was down 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.53 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.22%. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on DE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Deere & Company from $490.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded Deere & Company from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Deere & Company from $455.00 to $493.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group lowered their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $450.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $513.00.

Deere & 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.

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