Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) Shares Purchased by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its position in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE – Get Rating) by 2.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,203 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $1,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co lifted its position in Deere & Company by 29.8% in the third quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 4,821 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,108 shares during the period. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Deere & Company by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 8,973 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,996,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Oakview Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in Deere & Company by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Oakview Capital Management L.P. now owns 59,922 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,007,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association raised its stake in Deere & Company by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 10,651 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,555,000 after purchasing an additional 383 shares during the period. Finally, Greenwood Gearhart Inc. raised its stake in Deere & Company by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 31,473 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,509,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the period. 75.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DE. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $374.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 25th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $478.00 to $484.00 in a report on Monday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $522.00 to $537.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $415.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, November 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $512.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $460.81.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

NYSE:DE opened at $402.45 on Wednesday. Deere & Company has a 12-month low of $283.81 and a 12-month high of $448.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.25 billion, a PE ratio of 14.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $419.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $403.02.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 17th. The industrial products company reported $6.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.53 by $1.02. Deere & Company had a net margin of 14.71% and a return on equity of 41.17%. The firm had revenue of $11.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.92 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 33.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 30.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 8th. Investors of record on Friday, March 31st will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. This is a positive change from Deere & Company’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is 17.80%.

Deere & Company Company Profile

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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.