Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Insider Eric Faust Sells 1,148 Shares

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) insider Eric Faust sold 1,148 shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.16, for a total value of $28,883.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,336.08. The trade was a 17.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $25.10 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $365.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.37 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.56. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.88 and a fifty-two week high of $29.83.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.04. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 17.47% and a return on equity of 9.33%. The firm had revenue of $32.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.30 million. On average, analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on FMAO. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research downgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% during the 4th quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 485,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,991,000 after acquiring an additional 457,500 shares during the period. Align Financial LLC purchased a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at $6,844,000. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 186.8% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 15,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 33,916 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the third quarter valued at about $616,000. Finally, TrueMark Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the third quarter worth about $559,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

About Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) is the bank holding company for Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California, a community-focused institution headquartered in Los Banos, California. The bank traces its roots to 1916 and has grown to serve individuals, businesses and agricultural enterprises throughout the western San Joaquin Valley. Operating with a commitment to local decision-making, the company emphasizes personalized service and close ties to the communities in which it operates.

Through its banking subsidiary, Farmers & Merchants offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, online and mobile banking platforms, and merchant services.