Group 1 - CNH's New Holland brand is advancing sustainable farming with the T7 Methane Power tractor, which is designed for farmers to adopt alternative fuel solutions [3][4] - The T7 Methane Power tractor features a gas tank capacity of 657 liters (173 gallons US), allowing it to operate for a full eight-hour silage shift [4] - Biogas is becoming increasingly popular in the agricultural sector, with CNH investing in Bennamann, a UK start-up that provides on-farm fueling stations and micro-digesters for converting cattle manure into fuel [5] Group 2 - CNH Industrial is a global leader in equipment, technology, and services, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and productivity [6] - The company has a diverse portfolio of brands, including Case IH, New Holland, STEYR, Raven, and others, providing a wide range of agricultural and construction solutions [6][7] - CNH has a history of over two centuries as a pioneer in its sectors, with a workforce of over 35,000 employees dedicated to empowering customers [7]

Core Viewpoint - John Deere is experiencing a slowdown in sales due to customer uncertainty linked to tariffs, leading to layoffs and significant financial impacts, yet the stock has risen, indicating investor confidence in future recovery [2][3][12]. Company Performance - John Deere plans to lay off over 200 workers due to a sales slowdown, attributing a $300 million loss this year to tariffs, with a forecasted total impact of nearly $600 million [2]. - Adjusted earnings have declined from $34.63 in 2023 to $25.62 in 2024, with expectations of further decline to approximately $18.55 this year [3]. - Despite declining earnings, Deere's stock has increased by 12% year-to-date and 15% over the last year, currently trading around $470 [3]. Industry Context - Deere is a cyclical company closely tied to agricultural demand cycles, currently at a low point, with a recovery anticipated around fiscal 2026 [5][12]. - The agricultural equipment sector is expected to see significant growth in 2026 and 2027, making Deere's current valuation attractive for long-term investors [5][12]. Financial Metrics - Deere's revenue decreased by 20.9% over the last 12 months, from $55 billion to $43 billion, with an 8.3% drop in the most recent quarter [16]. - The company maintains a debt-to-equity ratio of 52.7%, which is higher than the S&P 500's 21.0%, but still manageable for an industrial firm [10]. - Operating margin stands at 20.0% compared to the S&P 500's 18.6%, and net income margin is at 12.0% versus the S&P 500's 12.7% [16]. Key Catalysts - Inventory normalization has been achieved, aligning production with retail demand, which is expected to support healthier growth in the future [16]. - Federal rate cuts are making financing agricultural equipment less expensive, encouraging farmers to invest in new machinery [16]. - Deere is trading at 2.9 times revenue, lower than Caterpillar and reasonably compared to the wider market, indicating attractive valuation [16]. Long-term Outlook - The cyclical downturn is expected to conclude, with Deere positioned for recovery, making it an appealing investment for those with a 3-5 year outlook [12][18]. - Historical performance shows Deere's resilience during market stress, indicating potential for strong rebounds when conditions improve [11][18].

Core Insights - New Holland, a global agriculture brand of CNH, won two silver medals at the 2025 Agritechnica Innovation Awards for its Corn Header Automation and ForageCam™ technologies, both recognized as industry-first innovations [1][2] Group 1: Innovations and Technologies - The Corn Header Automation system utilizes advanced AI and automation to optimize corn harvesting by automatically adjusting header settings, enhancing efficiency, reducing crop loss, minimizing fuel use, and saving time, ultimately leading to higher quality grain [2][3] - ForageCam™ employs a camera for smart crop monitoring during forage harvesting, providing real-time kernel processing scores to assess kernel quality, which is crucial for silage quality and livestock nutrition [3][4] Group 2: Company Overview - CNH Industrial is a leading equipment, technology, and services company focused on innovation, sustainability, and productivity, providing strategic direction and R&D capabilities for its global brands [5][6] - The company has a diverse workforce of over 35,000 employees and emphasizes empowering customers to enhance their operations and contribute to a better world [6]

Core Points - Ag Growth International Inc. (AGI) has partnered with Live to Farm and RIPCO Systems to promote agricultural education through a televised series that highlights real farm stories [1][2][3] - The upcoming season will feature the construction of an AGI grain bin on the Kalb farm, along with the installation of AGI's BinManager® technology, which allows farmers to monitor and manage grain quality via mobile devices [2][3] - The collaboration emphasizes the resilience of farm families and the importance of industry partnerships in modern agriculture [4][5] Company Overview - AGI is a provider of equipment and systems for the production, processing, and movement of grain, seed, fertilizer, feed, and food, with manufacturing facilities in multiple countries including Canada, the U.S., Brazil, India, France, and Italy [6] - RIPCO Systems is a family-owned business specializing in custom grain systems for farms and commercial operations, established in 1962 [8] Industry Context - The series "Live to Farm" aims to showcase the diversity and innovation in agriculture, focusing on the hard work and dedication of farm families during challenging economic times [5] - The Kalb and Cardinal families, featured in the series, are recognized for their achievements in high-yield farming and contribute to the narrative of modern agricultural practices [3][4]

Core Viewpoint - Investors often prefer stocks with a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, believing that lower P/E indicates higher stock value due to growth potential [1] Group 1: P/E Ratio Insights - Stocks with a rising P/E ratio can also yield strong returns, indicating that as earnings rise, stock prices should follow suit [2][3] - A rising P/E ratio suggests investor confidence in a company's fundamentals and expected positive performance [4] - Stocks can experience P/E ratio increases of over 100% from their breakout point, presenting significant investment opportunities if identified early [5] Group 2: Stock Screening Criteria - The screening process for stocks with increasing P/E includes criteria such as current year EPS growth estimates being equal to or greater than the previous year's actual growth [7] - Price changes over different timeframes must show consistent increases, with the four-week price change exceeding the twelve-week change, and the twelve-week change exceeding the twenty-four-week change [8] - Additional criteria include a Zacks Rank of 1 or 2, and an average 20-day trading volume of at least 50,000 to ensure liquidity [9] Group 3: Selected Stocks - The screening narrowed down to four stocks: - Nike (Zacks Rank 2) with an average four-quarter earnings surprise of 41.99% [10] - AGCO (Zacks Rank 1) with an average four-quarter earnings surprise of 316.76% [10] - Docusign (Zacks Rank 1) with an average four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.92% [10] - InterDigital (Zacks Rank 1) with an average four-quarter earnings surprise of 54.27% [11]

Group 1 - ClearBridge Investments released its second-quarter 2025 investor letter for the ClearBridge Small Cap Strategy, highlighting the volatility in small-cap stocks during the quarter [1] - The Russell 2000 Index rebounded 10% from its November 2024 record highs, driven by growth, momentum, high-beta, and low-quality stocks, but underperformed compared to the Russell 1000 Index, which returned 11.1% [1] - The ClearBridge Small Cap Strategy underperformed its benchmark during this period, with the Russell 2000 returning 8.5% for the quarter [1] Group 2 - AGCO Corporation, a global manufacturer of agricultural equipment, was highlighted in the investor letter, with a one-month return of -3.07% and a 52-week gain of 18.34% [2] - As of September 15, 2025, AGCO Corporation's stock closed at $109.71 per share, with a market capitalization of $8.187 billion [2] - The strategy added AGCO Corporation as a new holding, believing it stands to benefit from new trade and tariff policies due to its diversified global sales, with approximately 80% of sales outside the U.S. [3] Group 3 - AGCO Corporation is not among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds, with 27 hedge fund portfolios holding the stock at the end of the second quarter, unchanged from the previous quarter [4] - While AGCO Corporation is acknowledged for its investment potential, certain AI stocks are considered to offer greater upside potential and less downside risk [4]

Core Insights - Deere & Company is experiencing ongoing challenges in its equipment operations, with nine consecutive quarters of volume declines, particularly in the Agricultural & Turf segment due to weak farmer demand influenced by commodity prices, high input costs, and elevated interest rates [1][9]. Agricultural Market Projections - The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects net farm income to reach $179.8 billion in 2025, a 40.7% increase from the previous year, largely driven by a $30.4 billion rise in direct government farm payments [2][9]. - Crop receipts are expected to decline by 2.5% due to lower revenues from soybeans, corn, and wheat, although this will be partially offset by an 11.2% increase in animal and animal products receipts [3]. Equipment Market Outlook - Deere anticipates a challenging industry outlook for fiscal 2025, with a projected 30% decline in the large agriculture equipment market in the U.S. and Canada, and a 10% decline in the small agriculture and turf equipment market [4][5]. - The Production & Precision AG segment is expected to see a volume decline of 15-20%, while the Small AG & Turf segment is projected to decline by 11% [5][6]. Competitor Performance - Industry peers such as AGCO Corporation and CNH Industrial are also facing difficulties, with AGCO experiencing six consecutive quarters of negative organic growth and expecting a decline in sales volumes for both large and small agricultural equipment [7][8]. Financial Performance and Estimates - Deere's shares have increased by 11.4% this year, slightly outperforming the industry average of 10.9% [8]. - The Zacks Consensus Estimate indicates a year-over-year earnings decline of 27.5% for fiscal 2025, with revenues expected to drop by 14.5% [12].

Market Overview - Small cap stocks showed volatile performance in Q2, with the Russell 2000 Index recovering to within 10% of its record highs in just 55 days, primarily driven by growth, momentum, high-beta, and low-quality stocks [2] - The Russell 2000 returned 8.5% for the quarter, underperforming the Russell 1000 Index's 11.1%, marking the widest annual performance gap since 1935 [3] - Growth stocks regained leadership due to strong demand for AI beneficiaries, with the Russell 2000 Growth Index returning 12.0%, significantly outperforming the Russell 2000 Value Index by 700 basis points [3] Retail Investor Activity - Retail trading volumes have more than doubled since 2010, now accounting for nearly 21% of total market volume, while traditional long-only managers and hedge funds are losing market share [4] - Retail investors are focusing on companies with an average market cap about half that of the Russell 3000, with nearly 45% of their purchases being "zombie" companies with no earnings [10] - Notable examples include Regencell Bioscience, which saw a 7,000% increase in market cap despite having no revenue or regulatory approval [10] Portfolio Performance - The ClearBridge Small Cap Strategy underperformed its benchmark in Q2, with detractors in consumer discretionary and communication services sectors outweighing positive contributions from utilities and select healthcare companies [12] - Stock selection in the consumer discretionary sector faced challenges, particularly for Murphy USA and Oxford Industries, due to idiosyncratic headwinds and increased tariff costs [13][14] - Communication services sector detractors included Criteo and Anterix, with concerns over long-term growth and profitability impacting performance [15] Sector Contributions - Utilities sector performance was led by Talen Energy, benefiting from rising demand for power due to AI data centers [16] - Verona Pharma rebounded after receiving favorable FDA designation, leading to its acquisition by Merck at a premium [17] - Overall, the strategy had gains in six of the 11 sectors, with industrials and IT sectors being the leading contributors [21] Portfolio Positioning - The company actively adjusted its financial sector positioning, exiting Home BancShares for UMB Financial to enhance quality exposure [18] - New positions were initiated in AGCO within the industrials sector, expected to benefit from trade and tariff policies [19] - Exited positions included Abacus Global due to declining conviction and performance concerns [18] Outlook - The market shows signs of euphoria reminiscent of previous speculative bubbles, with a focus on low-quality stocks [4][20] - Economic uncertainties, including tariff impacts and potential inflation, suggest a need for a cautious approach [20] - The company continues to prioritize high-quality stocks with strong fundamentals, anticipating that these will be favored when market conditions shift [20]

Leadership Changes - Deere & Company has announced key leadership changes to advance its Smart Industrial Strategy, focusing on intelligent and connected machines to enhance customer economic value [1] - John May, chairman and CEO, emphasized the importance of building a purpose-driven leadership team dedicated to customer success [2] New Appointments - Cory Reed has been appointed president of Lifecycle Solutions, Supply Management, and Customer Success, overseeing global aftermarket, customer support, supply chain, precision upgrade, and business transformation initiatives [2][8] - Justin Rose will take on the role of president for the Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division: Small Agriculture and Turf, responsible for the Europe, Africa, and Asia markets [4][7] - Deanna Kovar has been named president of the Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division: Production and Precision Ag, covering the Americas and Australia markets, focusing on major equipment and technology solutions for production-scale agriculture [5][6]

Core Viewpoint - CNH Industrial N.V. has successfully priced an offering of €500,000,000 in principal amount of 3.875% notes due September 3, 2035, with an issue price of 98.906% of the principal amount [1][2]. Group 1: Offering Details - The closing of the offering is expected on September 3, 2025, and the notes will be issued under CNH's Euro Medium Term Note Programme [2]. - The net proceeds from the offering will be used for general corporate purposes, including repayment of existing debt [2]. - Application will be made for the notes to be admitted to trading on the Global Exchange Market of Euronext Dublin [2]. Group 2: Regulatory and Distribution Information - The notes will be offered and sold only outside the United States to institutional investors that are not "U.S. persons" and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act [4][5]. - The offering has not been registered with the Commissione Nazionale per le Societá e la Borsa (CONSOB) under Italian securities legislation, and may only be offered to qualified investors [6]. - This press release is directed only to persons outside the United Kingdom and those with professional experience in investment matters [7]. Group 3: Company Overview - CNH Industrial is a global equipment, technology, and services company focused on innovation, sustainability, and productivity [11]. - The company provides strategic direction and R&D capabilities to its brands, including Case IH, New Holland, CASE, and others, delivering a full lineup of agricultural and construction products [11]. - CNH has a history of over two centuries as a pioneer in its sectors, with a workforce of over 35,000 employees dedicated to customer success [12].