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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.66, for a total transaction of $79,980.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 246,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,560,626.10. This trade represents a 1.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FMAO traded up $0.83 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $27.27. The stock had a trading volume of 100,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,827. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $26.15 and a 200-day moving average of $25.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $375.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.45 and a beta of 0.82. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.59 and a 12-month high of $29.83.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd were given 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 is currently 35.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FMAO. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 1st quarter valued at about $380,000. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at about $210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $487,000 after buying an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on FMAO shares. Hovde Group dropped 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. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 price target (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.50.

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.