Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Sells 249 Shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lowered its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 176,119 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 249 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned approximately 1.62% of Federal Agricultural Mortgage worth $34,687,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd boosted its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 180.0% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 364 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,004 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $198,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.03% of the company’s stock.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE AGM opened at $193.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.76, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. has a 12 month low of $169.17 and a 12 month high of $217.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $198.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $196.11.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The credit services provider reported $4.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.17 by $0.46. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 19.43%. The business had revenue of $101.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.10 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. will post 17.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Federal Agricultural Mortgage from $205.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.21, for a total transaction of $513,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,773,835.24. This trade represents a 22.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Aparna Ramesh sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $201,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,242 shares in the company, valued at $1,865,590.12. This trade represents a 9.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.58% of the company’s stock.

About Federal Agricultural Mortgage

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation provides a secondary market for various loans made to borrowers in the United States. It operates through four segments: Corporate AgFinance, Farm & Ranch, Rural Utilities, and Renewable Energy. The company’s Agricultural Finance line of business engages in purchasing and retaining eligible loans and securities; guaranteeing the payment of principal and interest on securities that represent interests in or obligations secured by pools of eligible loans; servicing eligible loans; and issuing LTSPCs for eligible loans.