Warwick Investment Management Inc. Has $314,000 Stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Warwick Investment Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 741 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Warwick Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DE. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Deere & Company by 66.6% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 226,287 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $95,878,000 after acquiring an additional 90,490 shares during the last quarter. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,020 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $432,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth about $648,000. AGF Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,421,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $140,000. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. This trade represents a 24.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price target on Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. 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 note on Monday, February 10th. Baird R W lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $501.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $460.00.

Deere & Company Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:DE opened at $475.70 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $463.53 and its 200-day moving average is $431.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.22. Deere & Company has a 52 week low of $340.20 and a 52 week high of $515.05. The company has a market capitalization of $129.11 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 27.31%. Equities research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is currently 28.72%.

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.