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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.80, for a total transaction of $86,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 183,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,286,240. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock opened at $28.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $27.48 and a 200-day moving average of $26.57. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $29.83. The stock has a market cap of $397.13 million, a PE ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 0.82.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.54 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 18.54%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

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 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on FMAO shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 price objective (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Hovde Group lowered their target price on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report 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.com, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in the 2nd 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. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 4,013 shares during the period. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at $152,000. Institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

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.