Insider Selling: Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $82,770.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $82,770.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 225,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,210,095.15. The trade was a 1.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ FMAO opened at $27.93 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $26.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $384.54 million, a PE ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 0.82. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.59 and a 12 month high of $29.83.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.54 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 18.54% and a return on equity of 9.85%. Equities research analysts forecast that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued 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 3.3%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 457,500 shares in the last quarter. Hicks Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth about $363,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth about $224,000. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth about $210,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 66.5% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,204 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,280 shares in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on FMAO. Hovde Group cut their price target on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $28.50 target price (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $28.50.

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.