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 stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.39, for a total value of $85,170.00. Following the sale, the director owned 186,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,296,154.50. This represents a 1.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of FMAO stock traded up $0.44 on Friday, reaching $28.80. The stock had a trading volume of 56,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 53,893. The stock has a market cap of $396.58 million, a P/E ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 0.82. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.77 and a 1 year high of $29.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.45.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on FMAO shares. Hovde Group decreased 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. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 target price (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 643 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 509 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 4,013 shares during the period. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the first quarter valued at about $152,000. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.