Insider Selling: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $105,330.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total value of $105,330.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 51,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,809,920.50. This represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of FMAO opened at $33.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $464.60 million, a PE ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.80. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.77 and a 12 month high of $35.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $31.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $34.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FMAO has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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 decreased their price objective on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 target price (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FMAO. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 19,257 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $487,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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 acquiring an additional 643 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.9% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 25,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $637,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.