Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Short Interest Update

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 79,003 shares, a decrease of 21.2% from the December 15th total of 100,305 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 26,227 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 0.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 26,227 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $25.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 25,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,193. The company has a 50-day moving average of $25.28 and a 200-day moving average of $25.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $347.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.91 and a beta of 0.84. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a 12 month low of $20.88 and a 12 month high of $28.97.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $31.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.35 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 9.16%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Investors of record on Monday, December 29th will be given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. This is a boost from Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 29th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.66%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FMAO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 682,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,072,000 after purchasing an additional 4,979 shares during the period. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% in the fourth quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 485,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,991,000 after buying an additional 457,500 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1.5% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 299,470 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,572,000 after acquiring an additional 4,527 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 3.5% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 201,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,050,000 after acquiring an additional 6,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.9% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 25,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $637,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on FMAO shares. Zacks Research downgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.