Insider Selling: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells 3,000 Shares of Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.52, for a total transaction of $88,560.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 129,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,824,316. The trade was a 2.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of FMAO traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $29.82. The stock had a trading volume of 87,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 63,639. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $32.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $28.40 and its 200 day moving average is $26.97. The firm has a market cap of $410.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43 and a beta of 0.81.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 18.54% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm had revenue of $32.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.54 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on FMAO. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $32.00 target price (up from $28.50) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Hovde Group reduced their price target on shares of 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. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 3rd quarter valued at about $921,000. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during 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 period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

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.