Deere lifts full-year profit forecast on construction, sales recovery; shares up

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Farm-machinery maker Deere & Co raised its annual profit forecast on Thursday citing a rebound in its construction and small ‌agriculture businesses and cost cuts that mitigated weak equipment demand, sending ‌its shares up 4.7% before the bell. The world's largest farm-equipment maker previously scaled back factory ​production to counter weak demand for new machinery as lower crop prices and higher input costs push farmers to postpone big-ticket purchases. The company is also workin ...