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 stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.15, for a total value of $90,450.00. Following the sale, the director owned 135,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,086,832.50. This represents a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $29.49 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $406.08 million, a P/E ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.77 and a 1 year high of $32.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $28.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.95.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on FMAO. Hovde Group lowered their price target 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. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $32.00 price objective (up from $28.50) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position 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 period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in 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 in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.