Insider Selling: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) EVP Sells 1,000 Shares

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) EVP David Gerken sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.72, for a total value of $33,720.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,509 shares in the company, valued at $219,483.48. The trade was a 13.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Up 0.4%

FMAO stock traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $34.28. The company had a trading volume of 94,891 shares, compared to its average volume of 65,494. The company has a market capitalization of $472.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.80. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.77 and a 52 week high of $35.94. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Hovde Group lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% during the 2nd 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 valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Company Profile

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.