Deere & Co. (NYSE:DE) shares inched higher in early trading on Friday, after the company reported upbeat fiscal fourth-quarter results.
The company reported its results amid an exciting earnings season. Here are some key analyst takeaways.
Goldman Sachs On Deere & Co.
Analyst Jerry Revich maintained a Buy rating while raising the price target from $466 to $504.
Deere's fiscal fourth-quarter results revealed sa ignificant inventory destock of $2.6 billion "to bring dealer inventories to levels approaching prior trough," Revich said in a note. The used agricultural machinery market showed "signs of stabilization," as inventories down 1% over the past six months, he added.
The company's initial 2025 guidance reflects "40%+ decremental margins vs. 36% in 4Q24 and 36% for the full year," the analyst wrote. In precision agriculture, adoption rates have continued to rise across Deere's portfolio and revenues in this business could reach around $5 billion this year, he further stated.
Check out other analyst stock ratings.
Oppenheimer On Deere & Co.
Analyst Kristen Owen reiterated an Outperform rating while lifting the price target from $448 to $477.
Deere reported earnings of $4.55 per share on revenues of $11,143 million, higher than consensus of $3.87 per share and $11,052M, respectively, Owens said. "DE executed against its targeted underproduction in F4Q, enabling it to enter FY25 from a position of relative strength," he added.
The outlook is still concerning, with global agriculture fundamentals likely to deteriorate further in 2025, the analyst stated. "That said, the guide embeds an outlook for production cadence converging with demand, muted but positive price and price/cost, and solid cost execution," he further wrote.
BMO Capital Markets On Deere & Co.
Analyst Joel Jackson reaffirmed a Market Perform rating and a price target of $400.
The company's net income guidance range of $5 billion to $5.5 billion represents a contraction of around 50% from the 2023 peak, Jackson said. Management's commentary suggested performance could turn flattish or positive "at some point" in the second half of fiscal 2025, he added.
"Used equipment dynamic still normalizing for 1-2 year old combines/tractors in N. America," the analyst wrote. He further stated that fiscal 2025 earnings trough is expected to be below $20 per share.
DE Price Action: Shares of Deere & Co. had risen by 1.46% to $443.92 at the time of publication on Friday.
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