Insider Selling: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells 3,000 Shares of Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total value of $81,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 234,085 shares in the company, valued at $6,334,340.10. This trade represents a 1.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of FMAO stock traded up $0.68 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $27.85. The stock had a trading volume of 17,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,107. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a one year low of $22.59 and a one year high of $29.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $26.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $383.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 0.82.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released 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. The company had revenue of $32.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.54 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 18.54%. Equities analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is 35.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FMAO. Hovde Group lowered their price target 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 reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 price target (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FMAO. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% in 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. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in 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. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position 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 period. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at $152,000. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.