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 dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.86, for a total transaction of $104,580.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 87,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,051,993. This represents a 3.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FMAO traded down $0.01 during trading on Friday, reaching $33.33. The company had a trading volume of 89,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 64,979. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.77 and a 52 week high of $35.94. The stock has a market cap of $458.95 million, a PE ratio of 11.45 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $29.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.62.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $34.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 10.83%. Analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on FMAO shares. Hovde Group dropped their target price on 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. Zacks Research upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 price target (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in FMAO. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% in the second 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. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew 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 worth $49,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013 shares during the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.