Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Stock Purchase Revealed by Rep. Robert E. Latta

Representative Robert E. Latta (Republican-Ohio) recently bought shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO). In a filing disclosed on November 3rd, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock on October 20th.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ FMAO opened at $37.48 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $30.20. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.91 and a twelve month high of $37.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $515.76 million, a PE ratio of 12.05 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.04. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 11.25% and a net margin of 21.30%. The firm had revenue of $34.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.65 million. Research analysts anticipate that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.22 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th were given a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 30.87%.

Institutional Trading of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter worth $33,241,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $8,843,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 5.8% in 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 buying an additional 12,356 shares in the last quarter. Rhino Investment Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at $1,765,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,524,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

In other news, Director Andrew J. Briggs sold 2,402 shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,402 shares of company stock worth $606,340. 7.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FMAO shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 5th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $39.00 price target (up from $36.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.75.

About Representative Latta

Bob Latta (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Ohio’s 5th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2007. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Latta (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio’s 5th Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Company Profile

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Archbold, Ohio. Founded in 1897, the company operates through its principal subsidiary, The Farmers & Merchants State Bank, a community bank serving individuals, families, farmers and businesses.

The bank offers a range of traditional financial services, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, consumer and residential mortgage loans, commercial lending, agricultural loans and other business banking products.