Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Grows Stock Position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,523,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 48,053 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $645,432,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Deere & Company by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC now owns 8,212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,479,000 after buying an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 889 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Deere & Company by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Round Rock Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $522,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DE opened at $458.43 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $458.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $427.89. Deere & Company has a 1-year low of $340.20 and a 1-year high of $515.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The company has a market cap of $124.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.98.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on DE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group boosted their price objective 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Baird R W lowered Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $457.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Deere & Company 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 owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. This trade represents a 24.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.