6,010 Shares in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Acquired by Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.

Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 6,010 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,403,000. Deere & Company accounts for about 2.5% of Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Deere & Company by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,089,159 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,920,548,000 after buying an additional 65,006 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in Deere & Company by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,374,282 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,650,767,000 after buying an additional 269,571 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Deere & Company by 104,373.8% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,219,883 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,380,557,000 after buying an additional 3,216,801 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth $1,326,177,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Deere & Company by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,061,715 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,155,430,000 after acquiring an additional 73,601 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

Deere & Company stock traded up $0.54 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $401.14. 271,831 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,484,876. Deere & Company has a fifty-two week low of $345.55 and a fifty-two week high of $450.00. The firm has a market cap of $111.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $385.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $382.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.19 by $1.04. Deere & Company had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 44.60%. The company had revenue of $10.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.55 EPS. Deere & Company’s revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 27.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Melius Research reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, January 8th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $450.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $435.00 to $425.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Melius lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $433.28.

About Deere & Company

Deere & Company engages in the manufacture and distribution of various equipment worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Production and Precision Agriculture, Small Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Production and Precision Agriculture segment provides large and medium tractors, combines, cotton pickers and strippers, sugarcane harvesters and loaders, harvesting front-end equipment, pull-behind scrapers, and tillage and seeding equipment, as well as application equipment, including sprayers and nutrient management, and soil preparation machinery for grain growers.