Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02, Zacks reports. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.33% and a net margin of 17.47%.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 0.3%

FMAO traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.75. 86,224 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 37,694. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $26.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $389.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a 52 week low of $22.46 and a 52 week high of $29.83.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on FMAO. Zacks Research cut Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $28.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Farmers & Merchants Bancorp news, insider Eric D. Faust sold 1,148 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.16, for a total transaction of $28,883.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,538 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $139,336.08. This represents a 17.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 7.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position 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. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of 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 worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth approximately $207,000. 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.