Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (NYSE:AGM) Short Interest Up 17.8% in February

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (NYSE:AGM) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 299,122 shares, an increase of 17.8% from the February 12th total of 253,845 shares. Approximately 2.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 157,005 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 157,005 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 2.8% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Federal Agricultural Mortgage from $219.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Federal Agricultural Mortgage

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,351 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,695,000 after buying an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $301,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 44.5% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 262,931 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $46,163,000 after buying an additional 80,911 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,305,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 71,174 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $12,496,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.03% of the company’s stock.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock traded down $1.64 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $149.91. The company had a trading volume of 95,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 118,800. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50 day moving average of $167.80 and a 200 day moving average of $172.02. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 52-week low of $146.69 and a 52-week high of $210.64.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The credit services provider reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by ($0.84). Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a net margin of 15.73% and a return on equity of 17.93%. The company had revenue of $101.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $107.45 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Federal Agricultural Mortgage will post 17.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. This is a boost from Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s payout ratio is presently 36.06%.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Company Profile

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (NYSE: AGM), commonly known as Farmer Mac, is a government-sponsored enterprise chartered in 1988 under the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987. Headquartered in Washington, DC, Farmer Mac was established to enhance the availability of mortgage credit for the agricultural and rural utility sectors. The corporation operates as a secondary market for agricultural real estate and rural infrastructure loans, providing lenders with liquidity and risk management solutions.

The company’s principal business activities include purchasing and securitizing long-term fixed-rate agricultural mortgage loans and rural utilities loans originated by approved lenders.