Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs Sells 3,000 Shares of Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $82,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 225,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,210,095.15. The trade was a 1.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $27.87 on Thursday. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.59 and a 52-week high of $29.83. The stock has a market cap of $383.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $26.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.14.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $32.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.54 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 18.54%. Equities analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on FMAO. Hovde Group decreased 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. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 target price (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.50.

Institutional Trading of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 4,979 shares during the last quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% in the fourth quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 485,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,991,000 after acquiring an additional 457,500 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 301,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,448,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402 shares during the last quarter. Align Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,844,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 5.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 226,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,825,000 after acquiring an additional 12,356 shares during the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.