The Midwest Enjoys Solid Stock Growth
Inside the midwest there are numerous lawn and garden companies. The largest without a doubt is John Deere (NASD: DE). John Deere announced that the company has sold $400 million in new debt. Traders were excited about the news today as John Deere gained 3.2% today. This put a nice cap on John Deere’s growth over the past twelve months, which is now approximately 50%. The company has a PE of 13.03, which puts it in a position to get picked up by value based investors.
Another company, which shouldn’t be overlooked is Toro (NYSE:TTC). Toro’s stock price has increased around 25% over the past twelve months. Yesterday Toro announced that Peter M. Ramstad had joined the company as vice president of business and strategic development. Toro stayed fairly even yesterday and gained 2.1% today. The company has a solid PE of 15.5.
Toro lawn mowers and John Deere lawn mowers compete directly in lawn and garden stores across the country. While John Deere has continued to emphasize it’s quality and brand name, Toro has grown by buying out Lawn Boy and developing new technologies such as its Personal Pace feature.