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 dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total value of $105,330.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 51,550 shares in the company, valued at $1,809,920.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 0.6%

FMAO traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $34.83. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 56,845 shares, compared to its average volume of 67,203. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $35.94. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $479.61 million, a P/E ratio of 11.97 and a beta of 0.80.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.19. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 10.72%. The business had revenue of $34.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.05 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 31.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FMAO. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 target price (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Hovde Group lowered their target price on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rhino Investment Partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth about $1,765,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,319,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 11.5% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 10,582 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $271,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $33,241,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $249,000. Institutional investors 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.