Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs Sells 3,000 Shares

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.64, for a total value of $82,920.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 213,085 shares in the company, valued at $5,889,669.40. This trade represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

FMAO opened at $27.14 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.59 and a 52-week high of $29.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $373.72 million, a PE ratio of 10.40 and a beta of 0.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $26.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.25.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.54 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is 35.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 682,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,072,000 after acquiring an additional 4,979 shares during the last quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 1,659.8% in the fourth quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 485,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,991,000 after acquiring an additional 457,500 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 301,252 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,448,000 after acquiring an additional 2,402 shares during the last quarter. Align Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $6,844,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 5.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 226,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,825,000 after acquiring an additional 12,356 shares during the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on FMAO. Hovde Group reduced 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 note on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 price target (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research 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 presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.50.

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.