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 company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.20, for a total value of $81,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 252,085 shares in the company, valued at $6,856,712. This represents a 1.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of FMAO opened at $26.73 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $368.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 0.82. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.59 and a fifty-two week high of $29.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business’s 50-day moving average is $26.14 and its 200-day moving average is $25.92.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FMAO. Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. 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 dropped their price objective 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. 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 presently 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 hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FMAO. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter worth approximately $380,000. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter worth approximately $210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.1% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 19,257 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $487,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% during the second 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 during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 4,013 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.