Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Shares Sold by Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.

Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. trimmed its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 53.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,594 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,825 shares during the period. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Everence Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Deere & Company by 148.3% during the fourth quarter. Everence Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,179,000 after purchasing an additional 7,300 shares in the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Deere & Company by 157.5% in the 3rd quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 884,237 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $369,019,000 after buying an additional 540,874 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $254,000. Toronto Dominion Bank increased its holdings in Deere & Company by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 86,952 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,291 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its position in Deere & Company by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 55,170 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $23,376,000 after acquiring an additional 2,964 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Deere & Company stock opened at $479.69 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $130.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $340.20 and a 12 month 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $477.11 and its 200-day moving average is $438.85.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 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 analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Deere & Company’s payout ratio is 28.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total transaction of $12,304,993.80. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DE has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Baird R W downgraded Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $501.00 price objective on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Argus set a $510.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, March 7th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $460.00.

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.