Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $102,240.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.08, for a total transaction of $102,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 69,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,264. This trade represents a 4.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ FMAO traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $34.92. 341,424 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 67,440. The stock has a market capitalization of $480.85 million, a P/E ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 0.80. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.93. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.77 and a twelve month high of $35.94.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $34.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.05 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FMAO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. 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 report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Hovde Group cut 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 report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Institutional Trading of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 341 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% in 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 stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake 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 buying an additional 509 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is currently 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.