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 company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.47, for a total transaction of $91,410.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 111,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,398,928.50. This represents a 2.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Up 1.8%

NASDAQ FMAO opened at $35.07 on Thursday. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.77 and a twelve month high of $35.94. The stock has a market cap of $482.91 million, a PE ratio of 12.05 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.56. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $34.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.05 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.83% and a net margin of 20.27%. On average, research analysts forecast that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FMAO has been the subject of several research reports. Hovde Group reduced their target price on 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 restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 682,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,072,000 after buying an additional 4,979 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 2,402 shares during the period. Align Financial LLC bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at $6,844,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 5.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 226,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,825,000 after acquiring an additional 12,356 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhino Investment Partners Inc acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the first quarter worth $1,765,000. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.