Deere & Co Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (DE)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Deere (NYSE:DE) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A- . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity, solid stock price performance, impressive record of earnings per share growth and increase in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had generally high debt management risk by most measures that we evaluated.

• ACTIVE STOCK TRADERS: Get trading ideas for stocks under $10 for less than $6/week. Start with a 14-Day Free Trial.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• DE's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 6.9%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 14.6%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• The stock has risen over the past year as investors have generally rewarded the company for its earnings growth and other positive factors like the ones we have cited in this report. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year.
• DEERE & CO has improved earnings per share by 17.1% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, DEERE & CO increased its bottom line by earning $6.63 versus $4.36 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($7.75 versus $6.63).
• Current return on equity exceeded its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a clear sign of strength within the company. Compared to other companies in the Machinery industry and the overall market, DEERE & CO's return on equity significantly exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the S&P 500, but is less than that of the Machinery industry average. The net income increased by 10.6% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $712.20 million to $788.00 million.

Deere & Company provides products and services primarily for agriculture and forestry worldwide. Deere has a market cap of $33.02 billion and is part of the industrial goods sector and industrial industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 11.2, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 9.5% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

You can view the full Deere Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

FREE from Real Money's Jim Cramer: Winners and Losers Election 2012 - Steps to take NOW so you can profit no matter who is in charge! Free Download Now

 

For more information on Deere & Co click any of the following:

• Deere & Co Stock Price

• Deere & Co Analyst Ratings

• Deere & Co Key Stats & Profile

• Deere & Co Earnings

• Deere & Co Ratio Comparison

• Deere & Co Growth Rates

• Deere & Co Balance Sheet

• Deere & Co Cash Flow

• Deere & Co Income Statement