570 Shares in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Acquired by Vista Investment Partners II LLC

Vista Investment Partners II LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 570 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $242,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Everence Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 148.3% during the 4th quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,179,000 after purchasing an additional 7,300 shares during the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 157.5% during the third quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 884,237 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $369,019,000 after purchasing an additional 540,874 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the fourth quarter valued at about $254,000. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in Deere & Company by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 86,952 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp raised its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 53.8% in the third quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 4,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,669,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of Deere & Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DE opened at $499.73 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.22. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $461.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $430.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $135.63 billion, a PE ratio of 22.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. Deere & Company has a 52 week low of $340.20 and a 52 week high of $515.05.

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

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. Barclays upped their price target on Deere & Company from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $501.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $546.00 price target (down previously from $550.00) on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $457.22.

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.