Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $83,280.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.76, for a total transaction of $83,280.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 207,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,748,679.60. This represents a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ FMAO traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $27.26. 31,643 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 51,903. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.21. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a one year low of $22.59 and a one year high of $29.83. The company has a market cap of $375.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 0.82.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released 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 net margin of 18.54% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.54 million. On average, analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FMAO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Hovde Group decreased their target price on shares of 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. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $28.50 target price (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Monday, April 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the third quarter valued at $921,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in 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 period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position 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 buying an additional 509 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 4,013 shares during the period. 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.