Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (NYSE:AGM) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (NYSE:AGM) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 299,122 shares, an increase of 17.8% from the February 12th total of 253,845 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 157,005 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Currently, 2.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 2.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 157,005 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Performance

AGM stock traded down $1.64 on Monday, hitting $149.91. The company had a trading volume of 95,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 118,800. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 12-month low of $146.69 and a 12-month high of $210.64. The stock has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $167.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.02.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The credit services provider reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.50 by ($0.84). The company had revenue of $101.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $107.45 million. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a net margin of 15.73% and a return on equity of 17.93%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Federal Agricultural Mortgage will post 17.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. This is a boost from Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.06%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 8.3% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,702 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 5,469 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,025,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 21,683 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,066,000 after purchasing an additional 2,070 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 54.1% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 7,678 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 2,694 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 68.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on AGM shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Federal Agricultural Mortgage from $219.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Federal Agricultural Mortgage from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $215.00.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Company Profile

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (NYSE: AGM), commonly known as Farmer Mac, is a government-sponsored enterprise chartered in 1988 under the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987. Headquartered in Washington, DC, Farmer Mac was established to enhance the availability of mortgage credit for the agricultural and rural utility sectors. The corporation operates as a secondary market for agricultural real estate and rural infrastructure loans, providing lenders with liquidity and risk management solutions.

The company’s principal business activities include purchasing and securitizing long-term fixed-rate agricultural mortgage loans and rural utilities loans originated by approved lenders.