Howard Capital Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,705 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $426,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC raised its position in Deere & Company by 0.3% during 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 period. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Deere & Company by 2.8% in the 4th 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 boosted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Round Rock Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. 68.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DE. UBS Group raised their price target on Deere & Company from $404.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $437.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $401.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Deere & Company from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $454.65.

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

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 owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,484,675.58. This trade represents a 24.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Deere & Company Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE DE opened at $484.24 on Tuesday. Deere & Company has a twelve month low of $340.20 and a twelve month high of $515.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $452.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $422.92. The firm has a market cap of $131.88 billion, a PE ratio of 21.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.98.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 expect that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Deere & Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.72%.

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.