Insider Selling: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $101,070.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.69, for a total value of $101,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 81,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,747,419.50. The trade was a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock traded down $0.61 on Wednesday, hitting $34.16. The stock had a trading volume of 62,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 65,405. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.77 and a twelve month high of $35.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $470.49 million, a P/E ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $30.15 and a 200 day moving average of $27.86.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $34.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 10.72%. Sell-side analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 31.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Zacks Research upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Hovde Group lowered their target price on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 price objective (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter worth $380,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at about $210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 19,257 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.