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 on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.08, for a total value of $102,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 69,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,370,264. This represents a 4.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock opened at $34.92 on Friday. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.77 and a 52 week high of $35.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $480.85 million, a PE ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 0.80.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.19. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 10.72%. The firm had revenue of $34.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $921,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in 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 last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on FMAO shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Piper Sandler reissued 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. Hovde Group dropped their price target on 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. Zacks Research raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.25.

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.