Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Short Interest Update

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 114,091 shares, an increase of 43.4% from the February 26th total of 79,535 shares. Approximately 0.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 38,056 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $25.14. 57,740 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 42,779. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a 1 year low of $20.88 and a 1 year high of $29.83. The company has a market capitalization of $366.04 million, a P/E ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a fifty day moving average of $26.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $32.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.30 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 17.47% and a return on equity of 9.33%. As a group, research analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 2nd. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 38.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Farmers & Merchants Bancorp news, insider Eric D. Faust sold 1,148 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.16, for a total transaction of $28,883.68. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,336.08. This trade represents a 17.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the first quarter worth $380,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 299,470 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,572,000 after acquiring an additional 4,527 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth $210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 19,257 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on FMAO shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

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.