Quantessence Capital LLC Makes New $470,000 Investment in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Quantessence Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,110 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $470,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DE. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,244,094,000. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Deere & Company by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,581,408 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,364,843,000 after purchasing an additional 1,039,395 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $296,232,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 52,200.3% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 530,848 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $224,920,000 after acquiring an additional 529,833 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Wealth Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $148,359,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Deere & Company from $510.00 to $513.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Deere & Company from $462.00 to $440.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Baird R W cut shares of Deere & Company from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $480.00 to $450.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $460.21.

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction of $12,304,993.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at $37,484,675.58. This trade represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Deere & Company stock traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $459.52. 248,620 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,418,611. The company has a market capitalization of $124.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.22. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $467.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $446.72. Deere & Company has a 1 year low of $340.20 and a 1 year high of $515.05.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 12.94%. On average, analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Deere & Company's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.72%.

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.