Insider Selling: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $83,970.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.99, for a total transaction of $83,970.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 198,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,557,414.50. The trade was a 1.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FMAO opened at $28.80 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $27.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.45. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.77 and a 1-year high of $29.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $396.58 million, a P/E ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 18.54% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.54 million. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FMAO. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew 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 worth $11,991,000 after purchasing an additional 457,500 shares in the last quarter. Align Financial LLC bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth about $6,844,000. Rhino Investment Partners Inc bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter worth about $1,765,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter worth about $1,319,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 186.8% in the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 15,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 33,916 shares in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on FMAO. Hovde Group dropped their price objective on shares of 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 lowered shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $28.50 price objective (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.50.

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.