Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.04 EPS

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.04, FiscalAI reports. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 9.16%. The business had revenue of $32.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.30 million.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

FMAO traded down $0.28 on Thursday, hitting $27.47. 62,702 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 29,779. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.40. The firm has a market cap of $377.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.84. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a one year low of $20.88 and a one year high of $28.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 29th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a positive change from Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 29th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $921,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in 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. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth $210,000. Finally, Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth $207,000. 23.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FMAO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.