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 stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total value of $81,180.00. Following the sale, the director owned 234,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,334,340.10. This represents a 1.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Up 2.5%

FMAO traded up $0.68 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $27.85. 17,924 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 50,107. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.59 and a 12-month high of $29.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $383.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.82.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.54 million. Analysts predict 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 was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 15.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 17,246 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $443,000 after acquiring an additional 2,326 shares during the period. Rhino Investment Partners Inc bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter worth about $1,765,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 37.0% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 38,041 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $977,000 after purchasing an additional 10,279 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter worth about $152,000. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FMAO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 price target (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Hovde Group dropped 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.