Boston Partners Reduces Stock Position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Boston Partners lessened its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 603,128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,874 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners’ holdings in Deere & Company were worth $256,667,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pineridge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Deere & Company by 60.5% during the 4th quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC now owns 69 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total value of $12,304,993.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. This trade represents a 24.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of Deere & Company stock opened at $481.21 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $469.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $435.01. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $340.20 and a 12 month high of $515.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.33, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.98.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 12.94%. As a group, analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays upped their target price on Deere & Company from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 1st. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $501.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on Deere & Company from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $460.00.

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.