Sapient Capital LLC Acquires 2,580 Shares of Deere & Company $DE

Sapient Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,538 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,580 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $12,863,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DE. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the second quarter valued at about $1,578,243,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Deere & Company by 573.9% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 842,882 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $428,597,000 after acquiring an additional 717,808 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Deere & Company by 132.0% during the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 721,638 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $366,946,000 after acquiring an additional 410,636 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its position in Deere & Company by 97.1% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 733,871 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $344,442,000 after acquiring an additional 361,526 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Deere & Company by 50,691.9% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 332,179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $168,910,000 after purchasing an additional 331,525 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

In related news, CEO John C. May II sold 11,106 shares of Deere & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.08, for a total transaction of $5,553,888.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 112,453 shares in the company, valued at $56,235,496.24. The trade was a 8.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Deere & Company from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $525.00 to $515.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $488.00 to $467.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $560.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $522.70.

Deere & Company Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:DE opened at $468.84 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $473.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $484.92. The stock has a market cap of $126.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $403.01 and a 12 month high of $533.78.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 26th. The industrial products company reported $3.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by ($0.03). Deere & Company had a return on equity of 20.54% and a net margin of 11.00%.The company had revenue of $12.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.55 earnings per share. Deere & Company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.01%.

Deere & Company Profile

Deere & Company, commonly known by its brand John Deere, is a global manufacturer of agricultural, construction and forestry machinery, as well as turf care equipment and power systems. Founded in 1837 by blacksmith John Deere—who developed a polished steel plow to improve tillage in tough prairie soils—the company is headquartered in Moline, Illinois, and has grown into one of the largest and most recognizable names in equipment manufacturing worldwide.

The company’s principal businesses include a broad portfolio of agricultural equipment such as tractors, combines, planters, sprayers, harvesters and tillage implements, complemented by precision agriculture technologies and telematics that support farm management, yield optimization and equipment connectivity.