Andrew Briggs Sells 3,000 Shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total value of $81,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 234,085 shares in the company, valued at $6,334,340.10. This trade represents a 1.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Up 1.0%

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock opened at $27.83 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.04. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.59 and a 12 month high of $29.83. The company has a market capitalization of $383.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.66 and a beta of 0.82.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 18.54%.The business had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.54 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is 35.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FMAO. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter valued at about $152,000. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Hovde Group dropped their target price on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $28.50 price target (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.50.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Company Profile

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.