LRT Capital Management LLC Sells 3,595 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

LRT Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 54.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,057 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,595 shares during the period. LRT Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $1,222,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DE. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Retirement Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Deere & Company by 264.7% during the second quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 62 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. 68.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Deere & Company Stock Performance

NYSE:DE traded down $0.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $400.32. 1,125,406 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,289,741. Deere & Company has a one year low of $345.55 and a one year high of $450.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.43 billion, a PE ratio of 11.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.04. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $385.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $383.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.19 by $1.04. Deere & Company had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 44.60%. The firm had revenue of $10.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.30 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.55 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 27.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $425.00 to $401.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $381.00 to $387.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $435.00 to $425.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $445.00 to $425.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $433.28.

Deere & Company Profile

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.