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 Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.38, for a total transaction of $106,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 54,550 shares in the company, valued at $1,929,979. The trade was a 5.21% 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 Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $35.11 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $31.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a one year low of $22.77 and a one year high of $35.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $483.46 million, a PE ratio of 12.07 and a beta of 0.80.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FMAO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 target price (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Hovde Group cut their price target 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 Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,241,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $8,843,000. Align Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,844,000. Rhino Investment Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,765,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,319,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.