Technicals: This is not at all a perfect short setup solely off of the technicals. With that in mind, some clear signs of weakness can be seen in DE's weekly chart. One such sign was the new lower low formed at around 285 in July, which broke DE from its previous trading range of around 310-400 a share. Deere's recent bull rally since July's new low I find to be relatively weak due to lower volume. MACD (momentum) on the weekly has sustained a bullish cross. Monthly MACD is still positive yet a bearish cross has occurred. While the MACD on the daily timeframe is signaling a relatively strong uptick in momentum on the shorter timeframe. Despite the bullish momentum on the daily, the longer-term momentum indicators are signaling that there will be a sustained period of underperformance ahead for DE.
Fundamentals: Earnings for DE are on the 18th. P/B ratio of roughly 6. P/S of around 2.5. Debt to assets of 2.6. These all appear to me a bit weak. That being said, Deere's profit margins have expanded quite nicely over the last couple of years. I am not very excited about their margin growth, as I see global inflationary pressures providing headwinds for Deere's intermediate-term profitability. Overall, DE is an overvalued stock with little potential for further upside gains in my opinion (especially with the global macro picture steadily deteriorating).
Prediction: I do believe the short-term momentum will carry DE up to the 378.32 resistance, likely before earnings are announced on the 18th. Earnings will be a major risk event for DE traders. Should earnings come in higher than expected DE could easily rally above 378.32 and into 398.36 territory, possibly even higher (just look at WMT and HD's price action after their beats earlier today). If Deere comes out with disappointing earnings and/or worrisome guidance we should see a sharp sell-off, ultimately causing a move that allows for a retest of support zones in the 316.71 to 277.09. Earnings risk is something I generally avoid when trading, but the risk to reward for adding a DE short position at the moment almost looks too attractive to pass up. With earnings coming in so soon, it is hard to give a decisive prediction. That said, I will fall back on my underlying thesis, that Deere is overvalued and is facing technical and economic headwinds. I expect to see serious volatility in DE trading over the coming weeks, which eventually will lead DE back down to the 285 low, possibly even grinding into new lows testing support of 236.59.
As always this is not financial advice. Good luck!
Fundamentals: Earnings for DE are on the 18th. P/B ratio of roughly 6. P/S of around 2.5. Debt to assets of 2.6. These all appear to me a bit weak. That being said, Deere's profit margins have expanded quite nicely over the last couple of years. I am not very excited about their margin growth, as I see global inflationary pressures providing headwinds for Deere's intermediate-term profitability. Overall, DE is an overvalued stock with little potential for further upside gains in my opinion (especially with the global macro picture steadily deteriorating).
Prediction: I do believe the short-term momentum will carry DE up to the 378.32 resistance, likely before earnings are announced on the 18th. Earnings will be a major risk event for DE traders. Should earnings come in higher than expected DE could easily rally above 378.32 and into 398.36 territory, possibly even higher (just look at WMT and HD's price action after their beats earlier today). If Deere comes out with disappointing earnings and/or worrisome guidance we should see a sharp sell-off, ultimately causing a move that allows for a retest of support zones in the 316.71 to 277.09. Earnings risk is something I generally avoid when trading, but the risk to reward for adding a DE short position at the moment almost looks too attractive to pass up. With earnings coming in so soon, it is hard to give a decisive prediction. That said, I will fall back on my underlying thesis, that Deere is overvalued and is facing technical and economic headwinds. I expect to see serious volatility in DE trading over the coming weeks, which eventually will lead DE back down to the 285 low, possibly even grinding into new lows testing support of 236.59.
As always this is not financial advice. Good luck!