Markel Group Inc. Increases Position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Markel Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 797,800 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 39,000 shares during the quarter. Deere & Company comprises about 3.5% of Markel Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Markel Group Inc. owned 0.28% of Deere & Company worth $319,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CX Institutional increased its holdings in Deere & Company by 327.0% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 7,379 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,785,000 after buying an additional 5,651 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 140,661 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,083,000 after acquiring an additional 2,699 shares during the period. Spirit of America Management Corp NY raised its position in shares of Deere & Company by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 6,410 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,419,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Deere & Company by 3.5% during the third quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in Deere & Company by 3.1% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 94,542 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $35,678,000 after purchasing an additional 2,845 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DE traded down $0.72 during trading on Friday, hitting $393.34. 998,333 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,472,866. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $387.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $383.61. Deere & Company has a 52-week low of $345.55 and a 52-week high of $450.00. The company has a market cap of $109.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.04.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.23 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $10.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.55 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 27.37 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DE. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $430.00 price objective on the stock. Melius lowered Deere & Company from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Deere & Company from $445.00 to $425.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Deere & Company from $425.00 to $401.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Melius Research restated a "hold" rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.

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