SFE Investment Counsel Sells 1,761 Shares of Deere & Company $DE

SFE Investment Counsel decreased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 30.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,099 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,761 shares during the quarter. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $1,908,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new position in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Deere & Company by 69.2% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 66 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the third quarter worth about $32,000. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on DE. Wolfe Research raised their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $550.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $530.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Deere & Company from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $580.00 to $775.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Deere & Company from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $550.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $655.45.

Deere & Company Stock Down 1.3%

DE stock opened at $581.25 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $582.87 and its 200 day moving average is $536.13. The stock has a market cap of $157.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. Deere & Company has a 1-year low of $433.00 and a 1-year high of $674.19.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.52. Deere & Company had a net margin of 10.29% and a return on equity of 18.93%. The business had revenue of $9.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.19 earnings per share. Deere & Company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Deere & Company will post 18.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is currently 36.53%.

Key Stories Impacting Deere & Company

Here are the key news stories impacting Deere & Company this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market watchers continue to highlight Deere as one of the farm equipment names that could benefit from improving demand and increased investment in agricultural technology. 4 Farm Equipment Stocks Worth Watching Despite Industry Challenges
• Positive Sentiment: Deere is also being cited as a potential winner from stronger sentiment around U.S.-China trade headlines, with some traders viewing a Trump-Xi summit as a possible catalyst for agriculture-related stocks. Nvidia Chips, Boeing Jets: Stock Traders Eye Trump in China
• Neutral Sentiment: Deere is drawing renewed investor attention on stock screeners and search activity, which suggests the name remains on traders’ radar but does not point to a clear fundamental change. Deere & Company (DE) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Deere also got publicity for launching a John Deere-branded grooming line with Every Man Jack at Walmart, a brand-extension story that could support consumer awareness but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. John Deere Tests Brand Reach With Every Man Jack Walmart Grooming Line
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks note highlighted that Deere shares fell in the latest session even as the broader market rose, suggesting investors may be taking profits or rotating out of the stock despite the constructive longer-term setup. Deere (DE) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know

Deere & Company Company Profile

Deere & Company, commonly known by its brand John Deere, is a global manufacturer of agricultural, construction and forestry machinery, as well as turf care equipment and power systems. Founded in 1837 by blacksmith John Deere—who developed a polished steel plow to improve tillage in tough prairie soils—the company is headquartered in Moline, Illinois, and has grown into one of the largest and most recognizable names in equipment manufacturing worldwide.

The company’s principal businesses include a broad portfolio of agricultural equipment such as tractors, combines, planters, sprayers, harvesters and tillage implements, complemented by precision agriculture technologies and telematics that support farm management, yield optimization and equipment connectivity.