Insider Selling: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $104,580.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.86, for a total value of $104,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 87,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,051,993. This represents a 3.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of FMAO opened at $33.36 on Monday. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $35.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $29.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.67. The stock has a market cap of $459.37 million, a PE ratio of 11.46 and a beta of 0.80.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $34.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.05 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 10.72%. Research analysts forecast that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $921,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FMAO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Zacks Research raised 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 objective (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Hovde Group lowered their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.25.

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.