Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs Sells 2,402 Shares of Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 2,402 shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total value of $84,190.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 49,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,722,637.40. The trade was a 4.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp stock opened at $34.83 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $479.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.97 and a beta of 0.80. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.77 and a twelve month high of $35.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $31.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.44.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $34.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.05 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 10.72% and a net margin of 20.27%. Equities research analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is currently 31.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FMAO. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,241,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $8,843,000. Align Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth $6,844,000. Rhino Investment Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth about $1,765,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the first quarter valued at about $1,319,000. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on FMAO. Wall Street Zen raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective (up from $32.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Hovde Group dropped their target price on 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.