Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $81,180.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total transaction of $81,180.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 234,085 shares in the company, valued at $6,334,340.10. This represents a 1.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock opened at $27.54 on Friday. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.59 and a 12-month high of $29.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $379.23 million, a P/E ratio of 10.55 and a beta of 0.82. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $26.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 18.54% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.54 million. Equities analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FMAO. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter worth approximately $380,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the second quarter worth approximately $210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in the second 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 last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013 shares during the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on FMAO. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 target price (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Hovde Group decreased 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 note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.