Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Shares Sold by Kesler Norman & Wride LLC

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC cut its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 19.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 564 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 135 shares during the period. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Deere & Company by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $426,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Deere & Company by 0.3% in the 4th 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 during the period. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 889 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $377,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 during the period. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 557 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Deere & Company

In other news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total value of $12,304,993.80. Following the sale, the insider now owns 74,878 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. This represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $501.00 price target on shares of Deere & Company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $510.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, December 6th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Baird R W lowered Deere & Company from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Deere & Company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $460.00.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Shares of DE stock opened at $470.54 on Thursday. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $478.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $441.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.86, a P/E/G 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.

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

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.