New York, February 11, 2026, 16:56 (EST) — After-hours
- Deere & Company shares rose 3.25% to $612.69, extending a four-day winning streak and setting a new 52-week high
- Machinery peers also gained; Caterpillar jumped after Argus Research lifted its price target to $820 from $625
- Venture One said it broke ground on a 1.2 million-sq-ft facility for John Deere in Indiana, with completion expected in Q1 2027
Deere & Company (DE) shares rose 3.2% in Wednesday’s regular session to close at $612.69, their fourth straight gain, and held near that level after the bell. The move set a new 52-week high. (MarketWatch)
That puts Deere at fresh highs heading into its first-quarter earnings call on Feb. 19, a point when investors will be looking for a read on big-tractor demand and pricing discipline. (John Deere Investor Relations)
It also lands as rate expectations swing again. For equipment makers, financing is the quiet variable — dealers and farmers borrow to buy a lot of steel, and that can turn fast when rates move.
U.S. stocks ended mostly flat after a stronger-than-expected January jobs report pushed traders to trim bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts. “The economy is not in dire need of rate cuts,” said Julia Hermann, global market strategist at New York Life Investments. Machinery peer Caterpillar jumped 4.4% after Argus Research lifted its price target — a broker’s estimate of where the stock could trade — to $820 from $625. (Reuters)
Separately, real-estate developer Venture One said it broke ground on a 1.2 million-square-foot industrial facility for John Deere in Hebron, Indiana, with completion expected in the first quarter of 2027. “We are proud to partner with John Deere on this transformative project,” Venture One principal Ryan Stoller said. (Venture One)
Deere, based in Moline, Illinois, makes farm and construction equipment and has long been treated as a barometer for whether the agriculture downturn is easing. The stock’s recent run has kept it in the middle of the industrial rotation trade.
In its latest full-year outlook, Deere projected fiscal 2026 net income of $4.0 billion to $4.75 billion and said “2026 will mark the bottom of the large ag cycle.” The company also flagged ongoing tariff-related margin pressure and persistent challenges in its large agriculture business.
But rallies into an earnings date can leave little room for a miss. Any sign that farmer spending is slipping again — or that costs are sticking — would test the move, especially if rates stay higher for longer.
The quarter will also be watched through a management lens. Deere’s long-time CFO Joshua Jepsen is leaving to take the same role at Honeywell’s aerospace unit, and Deere named Ryan Campbell as interim finance chief. (Reuters)
Beyond the headline numbers, traders will be listening for comments on dealer inventory and production cadence, the levers that can tighten or loosen margins quickly when orders shift.
Next up: Deere’s first-quarter results and conference call on February 19. Investors will be listening for the tone on large-ag margins, tariffs and any change to the 2026 profit outlook. (Yahoo)
