Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Acquires New Holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 693 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $294,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC lifted its position 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 lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in Deere & Company by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 889 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Deere & Company by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Round Rock Advisors LLC lifted its position in Deere & Company by 2.0% in the third quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deere & Company

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,484,675.58. This 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Deere & Company Trading Up 3.5 %

NYSE DE opened at $499.73 on Monday. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $340.20 and a 12 month high of $515.05. The stock has a market cap of $135.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $461.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $430.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 12.94%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 28.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on DE shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Deere & Company from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on Deere & Company from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Deere & Company from $401.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. 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 research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Deere & Company from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $457.22.

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.