Nixon Capital LLC Makes New $1.94 Million Investment in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Nixon Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,944,000. Deere & Company accounts for about 0.6% of Nixon Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zacks Investment Management lifted its position in Deere & Company by 22.7% during the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 2,235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $933,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 56,788 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $23,699,000 after acquiring an additional 3,437 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Deere & Company by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 79,478 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,169,000 after acquiring an additional 3,860 shares in the last quarter. Geller Advisors LLC increased its stake in Deere & Company by 6.1% in the third quarter. Geller Advisors LLC now owns 770 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in Deere & Company by 155.8% during the third 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $501.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $462.00 to $440.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $458.84.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

NYSE:DE opened at $422.15 on Tuesday. 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 fifty-two week low of $340.20 and a fifty-two week high of $515.05. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $475.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $442.47. The company has a market capitalization of $114.58 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.00.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.94% and a return on equity of 27.31%. Research analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 28.72%.

Insider Activity

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the insider now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.