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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.66, for a total value of $79,980.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 246,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,560,626.10. This trade represents a 1.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of FMAO stock opened at $27.17 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $374.13 million, a PE ratio of 10.41 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $26.23 and a 200-day moving average of $25.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a one year low of $22.59 and a one year high of $29.83.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 18.54% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The firm had revenue of $32.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.54 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 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, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, April 3rd were given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Hovde Group dropped their price objective 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 set a $28.50 price target (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.50.

Institutional Trading of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

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