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 Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.76, for a total value of $83,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 207,085 shares in the company, valued at $5,748,679.60. This trade represents a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $27.81 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $382.82 million, a PE ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.59 and a twelve month high of $29.83.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. The business 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% during the fourth quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 485,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,991,000 after buying an additional 457,500 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the second quarter worth $210,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position 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 last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on FMAO. Hovde Group cut their price target on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings lowered Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 target price (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.50.

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.