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 Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total value of $88,560.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 129,550 shares in the company, valued at $3,824,316. The trade was a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of FMAO stock traded down $0.12 on Friday, hitting $29.82. The company had a trading volume of 87,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 110,302. The firm has a market cap of $410.56 million, a P/E ratio of 11.43 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $28.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.99. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.77 and a twelve month high of $32.00.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.54 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on FMAO. Hovde Group decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $32.00 price target (up from $28.50) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FMAO. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in the second 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 during the period. 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.