Item 1A. Risk Factors
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
There are no material changes to the risk factors set forth in Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 27, 2024, except as set forth below.
Legal proceedings, disputes and government inquiries and investigations could harm our business, financial condition, reputation, and brand.
We routinely are a party to claims and legal actions and the subject of government inquiries and investigations, the most prevalent of which relate to product liability (including asbestos-related liability), employment, patent, trademark, and antitrust matters. For example, we were recently the subject of a previously disclosed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into our information security practices and statements, which was closed by the FTC without action. The defense of lawsuits and government inquiries and investigations has resulted and may result in expenditures of significant financial resources and the diversion of management’s time and attention away from business operations. Adverse decisions in one or more of these claims, actions, inquiries, or investigations could require us to pay substantial damages or fines, undertake service actions, initiate recall campaigns, or take other costly actions. It is therefore possible that legal judgments or investigations could give rise to expenses that are not covered, or not fully covered, by our insurance programs and could affect our financial position and results.
We are currently subject to a consolidated multidistrict class action lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois alleging that we have engaged in attempted monopolization, exclusionary conduct, and restraint of the market for repair services for John Deere brand agricultural equipment by limiting repair resources only to our authorized technicians or independent authorized John Deere dealers. In addition, the FTC, along with the Attorneys General of the States of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit against us in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Western Division alleging similar claims. We are currently unable to predict the outcome of these matters.
Item 2.Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Purchases of our common stock during the first quarter of 2025 were as follows:
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | Total Number of | | |||||
| | | | | | | | Shares Purchased as | | Maximum Number of | |
| | | Total Number of | | | | | Part of Publicly | | Shares that May Yet Be | |
| | | Shares | | | | | Announced Plans or | | Purchased under the | |
| | | Purchased (2) | | Average Price | | Programs (1) | | Plans or Programs (1) | ||
| Period | | (thousands) | | Per Share | | (thousands) | | (millions) | ||
| Oct 28 to Nov 24 | | 367 | $ | 405.87 | | 367 | | 18.4 | | |
| Nov 25 to Dec 22 | | 285 | | | 446.16 | | 263 | | 18.1 | |
| Dec 23 to Jan 26 | | 247 | | | 435.17 | | 247 | | 17.9 | |
| Total | | 899 | | | | | 877 | | | |
| (1) | We have a share repurchase plan that was announced in December 2022 to purchase up to $18.0 billion of shares of our common stock. The maximum number of shares that may yet be purchased under this plan was 17.9 million based on the closing price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange as of the end of the first quarter of 2025 of $478.77 per share. At the end of the first quarter of 2025, $8.6 billion of common stock remains to be purchased under this plan. |
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| (2) | In the first quarter of 2025, 22 thousand shares of common stock were acquired from plan participants at a weighted-average market price of $439.24 per share to pay payroll taxes on the vesting of restricted stock awards. |
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Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities
During the first quarter of 2025, we issued 145 deferred stock units under the Deere & Company Nonemployee Director Stock Ownership Plan (“NEDSOP”) to a nonemployee director for their service on our Board of Directors. The deferred stock units convert to shares of common stock on a one-for-one basis following a termination of service as described in the plan. Deferred stock units and shares of common stock issued under the NEDSOP are exempt from registration pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Rule 506 of the SEC’s Regulation D thereunder.
On January 2, 2025, we distributed 1,386 shares of common stock to a participant account under the 2012 NEDSOP.
Item 3.Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
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