Sigma Planning Corp Cuts Stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Sigma Planning Corp lessened its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 55.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,534 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,826 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp's holdings in Deere & Company were worth $2,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 5,355 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,141,000 after purchasing an additional 939 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Deere & Company by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 236,696 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $89,322,000 after buying an additional 5,485 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its position in Deere & Company by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 14,002 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,284,000 after buying an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Centric Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,640,000. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 483.3% in the 3rd quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 17,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,604,000 after acquiring an additional 14,500 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.58% of the company's stock.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of DE stock traded down $0.71 on Monday, hitting $399.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,000,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,489,896. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $345.55 and a fifty-two week high of $450.00. The company has a market capitalization of $111.24 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.04. The stock's 50 day moving average is $386.06 and its 200-day moving average is $383.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.19 by $1.04. Deere & Company had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 44.60%. The firm had revenue of $10.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.55 EPS. The business's revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Deere & Company will post 27.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Melius cut Deere & Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $430.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $425.00 to $401.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Deere & Company from $450.00 to $435.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $433.28.

Deere & Company Profile

Deere & Company engages in the manufacture and distribution of various equipment worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Production and Precision Agriculture, Small Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Production and Precision Agriculture segment provides large and medium tractors, combines, cotton pickers and strippers, sugarcane harvesters and loaders, harvesting front-end equipment, pull-behind scrapers, and tillage and seeding equipment, as well as application equipment, including sprayers and nutrient management, and soil preparation machinery for grain growers.