Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs Sells 3,000 Shares of Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.38, for a total transaction of $106,140.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 54,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,929,979. This trade represents a 5.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of FMAO stock opened at $35.11 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $483.46 million, a P/E ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $31.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.29. 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 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 quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $34.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 20.27%. Sell-side analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $33,241,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $8,843,000. Align Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,844,000. Rhino Investment Partners Inc acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,765,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,319,000. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 target price (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Hovde Group dropped their target price on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One research 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.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.