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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.44, for a total value of $79,320.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 240,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,347,847.40. The trade was a 1.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of FMAO stock opened at $27.83 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $26.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.04. The firm has a market cap of $383.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.66 and a beta of 0.82. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.59 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $32.44 million for 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%. Analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on FMAO shares. Hovde Group dropped their price objective on 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. Weiss Ratings raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $28.50 price target (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 4,013 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the first quarter worth about $152,000. Hedge funds and other 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.