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 stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.54, for a total value of $103,620.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 66,550 shares in the company, valued at $2,298,637. This trade represents a 4.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO opened at $35.33 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $486.49 million, a PE ratio of 12.14 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.77 and a 12-month high of $35.94. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.24.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $34.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.05 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rhino Investment Partners Inc purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,765,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,319,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 37.0% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 38,041 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $977,000 after purchasing an additional 10,279 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 226,917 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,825,000 after purchasing an additional 12,356 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $249,000. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on FMAO shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 price target (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Hovde Group reduced their price target on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.