Man Group plc Makes New Investment in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. $FMAO

Man Group plc acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $535,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew 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 valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the second quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $35.19 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $32.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.96. The company has a market cap of $484.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.09 and a beta of 0.80. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.77 and a 12 month high of $35.94.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.19. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 20.27%.The company had revenue of $34.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Andrew J. Briggs sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.72, for a total transaction of $172,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 168,550 shares in the company, valued at $4,840,756. This represents a 3.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 76,227 shares of company stock worth $2,387,122 over the last 90 days. 7.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on FMAO. Wall Street Zen upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.25.

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.