Knuff & Co LLC Cuts Holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Knuff & Co LLC reduced its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 14.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,845 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,153 shares during the quarter. Deere & Company comprises approximately 0.9% of Knuff & Co LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Knuff & Co LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $2,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Everence Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Deere & Company by 148.3% in the fourth 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 lifted its holdings in Deere & Company by 157.5% during 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 shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at $254,000. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in shares of Deere & Company by 1.5% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp grew its position in shares of Deere & Company by 53.8% in the 3rd quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 4,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,669,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deere & Company Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of Deere & Company stock opened at $475.70 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $129.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01. 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 simple moving average is $463.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $431.66. Deere & Company has a 1-year low of $340.20 and a 1-year high of $515.05.

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

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on DE shares. Argus set a $510.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Friday. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $460.00.

Insider Activity

In other Deere & Company news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.