Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $103,620.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.54, for a total transaction of $103,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 66,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,298,637. This trade represents a 4.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of FMAO opened at $35.11 on Friday. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.77 and a 1-year high of $35.94. The company has a market capitalization of $483.46 million, a P/E ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.29.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $34.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 10.72%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 31.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on FMAO shares. Hovde Group lowered their price target 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. Zacks Research upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 price objective (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FMAO. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the first quarter valued at about $380,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the second quarter worth about $210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $487,000 after buying an additional 401 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted 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 acquiring an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 4,013 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.