Cozad Asset Management Inc. Sells 773 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Cozad Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 17,662 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 773 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $7,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DE. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, ZRC Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company Trading Down 2.5 %

NYSE:DE traded down $10.20 on Tuesday, reaching $390.76. 339,172 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,451,202. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. Deere & Company has a 1-year low of $345.55 and a 1-year high of $450.00. The company’s 50 day moving average is $388.66 and its 200-day moving average is $383.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.04.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The industrial products company reported $6.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $10.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.55 earnings per share. Deere & Company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Deere & Company will post 27.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th will be given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 27th. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on DE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Melius lowered Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Deere & Company from $435.00 to $425.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Deere & Company from $450.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.