Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Purchases 8,290 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 143.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,071 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,290 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $5,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Essex Savings Bank raised its stake in Deere & Company by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 5,367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,146,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in Deere & Company by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 1,879 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $751,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in Deere & Company by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 5,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC increased its stake in Deere & Company by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 5,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Chip Partners LLC raised its holdings in Deere & Company by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $489,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $450.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Deere & Company from $445.00 to $425.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Deere & Company from $425.00 to $401.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Melius downgraded Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $494.00 target price on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $433.28.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Deere & Company stock traded up $5.00 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $400.96. The stock had a trading volume of 1,626,960 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,337,641. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. Deere & Company has a 52-week low of $345.55 and a 52-week high of $450.00. The company has a market capitalization of $111.61 billion, a PE ratio of 11.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $390.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $383.84.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.19 by $1.04. The firm had revenue of $10.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.30 billion. Deere & Company had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 44.60%. The company’s revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.55 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 27.37 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.12%.

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.