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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.63, for a total value of $85,890.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 177,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,083,256.50. This trade represents a 1.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 1.1%

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock traded down $0.32 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $28.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 124,641 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,389. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.82. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $27.42 and its 200 day moving average is $26.54. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.77 and a 1-year high of $29.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $32.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.54 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 18.54%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Hovde Group dropped their price target on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $28.50 price target (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 682,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,072,000 after buying an additional 4,979 shares in the last quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% in the fourth quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 485,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,991,000 after buying an additional 457,500 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 301,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,448,000 after buying an additional 2,402 shares in the last quarter. Align Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,844,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 5.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 226,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,825,000 after buying an additional 12,356 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.