Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Short Interest Update

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 114,091 shares, an increase of 43.4% from the February 26th total of 79,535 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 38,056 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Eric D. Faust sold 1,148 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.16, for a total transaction of $28,883.68. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,538 shares in the company, valued at $139,336.08. The trade was a 17.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% in 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 buying an additional 457,500 shares during the period. Align Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $6,844,000. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in shares of 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 worth $390,000 after acquiring an additional 33,916 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the third quarter worth $616,000. Finally, TrueMark Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $559,000. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research downgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of FMAO stock traded up $0.49 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $25.63. The company had a trading volume of 36,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,964. The company’s fifty day moving average is $26.41 and its 200 day moving average is $25.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $20.88 and a fifty-two week high of $29.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $373.17 million, a PE ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 38.02%.

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.