Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 395 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 4.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,658 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 395 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $3,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Deere & Company by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 2,936 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,244,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators boosted its position in shares of Deere & Company by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 342 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 7,565 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,205,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,035,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE DE opened at $525.02 on Friday. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $340.20 and a fifty-two week high of $533.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a current ratio of 2.11. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $493.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $470.14. The stock has a market cap of $142.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.09.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.72 by $0.92. The company had revenue of $11.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.80 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 24.39% and a net margin of 12.40%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.53 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 31.35%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on DE shares. Barclays increased their price target on Deere & Company from $475.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Deere & Company from $513.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on Deere & Company from $530.00 to $560.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Baird R W lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $462.00 to $440.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $515.19.

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.