Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Sells 864 Shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp decreased its stake in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,956 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 864 shares during the period. Deere & Company makes up about 3.2% of Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Deere & Company were worth $6,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in DE. Schrum Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter worth about $223,000. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $294,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in Deere & Company by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 684 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $296,232,000. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Deere & Company during the 4th quarter valued at $4,254,000. Institutional investors own 68.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $501.00 target price on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Monday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com lowered Deere & Company from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $457.22.

Deere & Company Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of DE opened at $468.08 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.22. Deere & Company has a one year low of $340.20 and a one year high of $515.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $458.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $428.17.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.14 by $0.05. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 27.31% and a net margin of 12.94%. Equities research analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Deere & Company’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.72%.

Insider Activity at Deere & Company

In other news, insider Rajesh Kalathur sold 24,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.61, for a total value of $12,304,993.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 74,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,484,675.58. This trade represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Deere & Company 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.