Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $82,770.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $82,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 225,085 shares in the company, valued at $6,210,095.15. The trade was a 1.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of FMAO traded up $0.09 on Wednesday, reaching $27.87. 73,811 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 51,544. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $383.71 million, a PE ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.82. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.14. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.59 and a 52-week high of $29.83.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $32.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.54 million. On average, analysts forecast that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the third quarter worth approximately $921,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FMAO. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Hovde Group reduced their price target on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. 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 research note on Monday, April 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $28.50.

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.