Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $104,820.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.94, for a total value of $104,820.00. Following the sale, the director owned 60,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,115,617. This represents a 4.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO traded up $0.08 on Wednesday, reaching $35.14. The company had a trading volume of 40,720 shares, compared to its average volume of 67,388. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $35.94. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $483.88 million, a PE ratio of 12.08 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $34.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. As a group, analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.1% during the 2nd 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 period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.9% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 25,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $637,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FMAO. Hovde Group lowered their price target on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 target price (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.