Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Announces Special Dividend of $0.01

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) declared a special dividend on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.01 per share by the financial services provider on Tuesday, October 20th. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 19 consecutive years. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a dividend payout ratio of 40.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Farmers & Merchants Bancorp to earn $3.18 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.92 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 28.9%.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $34.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $478.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 0.80. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a twelve month low of $22.77 and a twelve month high of $36.12. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $34.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $34.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 20.27%. Equities research analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

In other news, Director Andrew J. Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.76, for a total transaction of $104,280.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 72,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,521,838. This trade represents a 3.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 42,402 shares of company stock valued at $1,407,190 over the last 90 days. 7.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth approximately $152,000. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the first quarter worth approximately $204,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Company Profile

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Archbold, Ohio. Its principal subsidiary, Farmers & Merchants Bank, is a community bank that provides financial services to individuals, families, farmers, and businesses.

The bank offers deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, consumer loans, agricultural financing, commercial loans, and other credit products. It also provides online and mobile banking, treasury management, trust and investment services, and other financial solutions designed to support personal and business banking needs.

Farmers & Merchants Bank traces its history to 1897 and serves communities primarily in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan through its branch network and digital banking channels.