Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs Sells 2,402 Shares

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 2,402 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total transaction of $84,190.10. Following the sale, the director directly owned 49,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,722,637.40. The trade was a 4.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 0.6%

FMAO traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $34.83. 56,845 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 67,203. The firm has a market capitalization of $479.61 million, a P/E ratio of 11.97 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $31.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.37. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.77 and a 1-year high of $35.94.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.19. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 20.27%.The company had revenue of $34.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.05 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FMAO has been the topic of several research reports. 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. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 price target (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Hovde Group lowered their price target on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.25.

Institutional Trading of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,241,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 4,979 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 2,402 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter valued at about $8,843,000. Finally, Align Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,844,000. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.