Insider Selling: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $92,010.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.67, for a total transaction of $92,010.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 141,550 shares in the company, valued at $4,341,338.50. This trade represents a 2.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of FMAO traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $30.84. 77,855 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 63,183. The business has a fifty day moving average of $28.16 and a 200-day moving average of $26.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $424.67 million, a PE ratio of 11.82 and a beta of 0.81. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.77 and a 1-year high of $32.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 18.54% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company had revenue of $32.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.54 million. Analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS 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 given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.25%.

Institutional Trading of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FMAO. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% during the 4th quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 485,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,991,000 after purchasing an additional 457,500 shares during the last quarter. Align Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,844,000. Rhino Investment Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter valued at $1,765,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter valued at $1,319,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 186.8% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 15,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $390,000 after buying an additional 33,916 shares during the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on FMAO. Hovde Group dropped their price objective on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $32.00 target price (up from $28.50) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.25.

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.