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 business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.15, for a total transaction of $90,450.00. Following the sale, the director owned 135,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,086,832.50. The trade was a 2.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock traded down $0.60 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $29.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 40,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 63,021. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a one year low of $22.77 and a one year high of $32.00. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.94. 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 stock has a market cap of $408.84 million, a P/E ratio of 11.37 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 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.54 million. As a group, analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 35.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on FMAO shares. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $32.00 target price (up from $28.50) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Hovde Group reduced their target price on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FMAO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 682,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,072,000 after purchasing an additional 4,979 shares in the last quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% during the 4th quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 485,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,991,000 after purchasing an additional 457,500 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 301,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,448,000 after buying an additional 2,402 shares in the last quarter. Align Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $6,844,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 226,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,825,000 after acquiring an additional 12,356 shares in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.