Strong Tower Advisory Services Increases Stock Holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Strong Tower Advisory Services lifted its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 37.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,919 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,678 shares during the period. Deere & Company accounts for about 1.8% of Strong Tower Advisory Services’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Strong Tower Advisory Services’ holdings in Deere & Company were worth $3,966,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of DE. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Retirement Group LLC raised its stake in Deere & Company by 264.7% during the second quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 62 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on DE shares. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Deere & Company from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Deere & Company from $435.00 to $425.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Deere & Company from $450.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Melius downgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $431.69.

Deere & Company Stock Up 0.4 %

DE opened at $410.74 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $380.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $381.52. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $345.55 and a fifty-two week high of $450.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.96, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.03.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 44.60% and a net margin of 16.38%. The company had revenue of $10.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.55 EPS. Deere & Company’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Deere & Company will post 27.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.12%.

Deere & Company 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.