Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $91,740.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.58, for a total value of $91,740.00. Following the sale, the director owned 147,550 shares in the company, valued at $4,512,079. This represents a 1.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Up 2.3%

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $31.30. The stock had a trading volume of 60,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 62,336. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.82. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a one year low of $22.77 and a one year high of $31.44. The stock has a market cap of $430.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.01 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

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 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 company had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.54 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on FMAO shares. Hovde Group reduced 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 research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $32.00 target price (up from $28.50) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Thursday, June 25th. 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 an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.25.

Institutional Trading of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at $380,000. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter worth $210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.1% in the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 19,257 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $487,000 after buying an additional 401 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

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.