David Gerken Sells 1,000 Shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Stock

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 shares were sold at an average price of $33.72, for a total transaction of $33,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $219,483.48. The trade was a 13.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ FMAO opened at $34.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $480.85 million, a P/E ratio of 12.00 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $30.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 31.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FMAO. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the second quarter valued at about $33,241,000. Align Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,844,000. Rhino Investment Partners Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,765,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,319,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,524,000. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FMAO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Hovde Group reduced 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 price target (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.25.

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.