Gregory Allen Acquires 300 Shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Gregory Allen bought 300 shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $34.47 per share, with a total value of $10,341.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 300 shares in the company, valued at $10,341. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $34.77 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $30.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.80. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.77 and a 52 week high of $35.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $478.78 million, a P/E ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.19. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 20.27%.The business had revenue of $34.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.05 million. Analysts anticipate that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is 31.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter valued at $380,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the second quarter worth about $210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 2.1% in the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 19,257 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $487,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in 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 last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on FMAO. Weiss Ratings raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Hovde Group decreased their target price on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $36.00 price target (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.25.

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.