Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Shares Acquired by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 20.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,935 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,915 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $7,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Deere & Company during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Deere & Company by 155.8% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 110 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deere & Company Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:DE opened at $470.22 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $128.06 billion, a PE ratio of 18.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $445.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $413.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Deere & Company has a 12-month low of $340.20 and a 12-month high of $485.84.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The industrial products company reported $4.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.89 by $0.66. Deere & Company had a net margin of 13.73% and a return on equity of 31.32%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.26 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 32.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Deere & Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays increased 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $401.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $510.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $446.17.

Deere & 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.