Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Purchases 1,934 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 32,728 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,934 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Deere & Company were worth $13,509,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Everence Capital Management Inc. grew 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 worth $5,179,000 after acquiring an additional 7,300 shares during the period. Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its stake in 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 period. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Deere & Company in the fourth quarter worth approximately $254,000. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its stake in Deere & Company by 1.5% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 86,952 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,288,000 after buying an additional 1,291 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 55,170 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $23,376,000 after buying an additional 2,964 shares in the last quarter. 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,484,675.58. This represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DE has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. UBS Group increased 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. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Deere & Company from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup increased their price target on Deere & Company from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. One investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $460.00.

Deere & Company Price Performance

Deere & Company stock opened at $471.90 on Friday. Deere & Company has a 52 week low of $340.20 and a 52 week high of $515.05. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $473.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $436.21. The stock has a market cap of $128.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

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

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. 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.