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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.80, for a total value of $86,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 183,550 shares in the company, valued at $5,286,240. The trade was a 1.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $28.55 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.82. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.54. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $29.83.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $921,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% during the 2nd 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. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% during the 2nd 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. Institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on FMAO. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 target price (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Hovde Group lowered their price objective on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.