Midday Report: Piper Jaffray Downgrades Deere; U.S. Stocks Slide

Stocks held at session lows as crude oil crumbled on demand concerns. West Texas Intermediate crude was trading at below $44 a barrel, its lowest level in roughly two-and-a-half months.  Kimberly-Clark (KMB) - Get Report was slightly lower after guiding for lackluster full year profit. The home goods company, which owns brands including Kotex, Cottonelle and Huggies, expects currency exchange to cut 4% from full-year sales.  Deere (DE) - Get Report fell after Piper Jaffray downgraded the tractor maker to UNDERWEIGHT from NEUTRAL. The firm expects demand for machinery to continue to fall as corn and grain prices drop.  Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) - Get Report was upgraded to BUY from NEUTRAL at Citigroup. Analysts said the move was a valuation call based on a $25 price target.