Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. Purchases New Holdings in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 6,010 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,403,000. Deere & Company makes up approximately 2.5% of Andrew Hill Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DE. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Deere & Company by 104,373.8% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,219,883 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,380,557,000 after purchasing an additional 3,216,801 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,326,177,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 46,241.1% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 840,627 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $336,142,000 after buying an additional 838,813 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,576,183 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,962,085,000 after buying an additional 554,133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 561.5% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 531,339 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,379,000 after buying an additional 451,019 shares during the last quarter. 68.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Deere & Company Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Deere & Company stock traded up $0.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $401.14. 271,831 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,484,876. Deere & Company has a 1 year low of $345.55 and a 1 year high of $450.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $385.47 and its 200 day moving average is $382.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 2.05. The firm has a market cap of $111.66 billion, a PE ratio of 11.71, a PEG ratio of 1.49 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.19 by $1.04. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 44.60% and a net margin of 16.38%. The business had revenue of $10.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 27.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Deere & Company Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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 analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $450.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Melius downgraded shares of Deere & Company from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 8th. Melius Research restated a “hold” rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, February 16th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Deere & Company has an average 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.