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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.67, for a total transaction of $92,010.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 141,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,341,338.50. This trade represents a 2.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ FMAO opened at $30.51 on Tuesday. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $32.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $420.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.82 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $28.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.92. 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 quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 18.54%.The company had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.54 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 35.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FMAO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Hovde Group cut 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 research report on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $32.00 price target (up from $28.50) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $380,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter worth $210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

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.