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 the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.76, for a total value of $104,280.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 75,550 shares in the company, valued at $2,626,118. This trade represents a 3.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $34.16 on Thursday. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $35.94. The stock has a market cap of $470.38 million, a P/E ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a fifty day moving average of $30.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.19. The business 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 10.72% and a net margin of 20.27%. On average, research analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is 31.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FMAO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Hovde Group decreased 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 report on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 price target (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FMAO. 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. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 301,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,448,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402 shares in the last quarter. Align Financial LLC purchased a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,844,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 226,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,825,000 after acquiring an additional 12,356 shares during the period. Finally, Rhino Investment Partners Inc acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,765,000. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.