Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Analyst Says

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) had its price objective upped by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $205.00 to $230.00 in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has a market perform rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Price Performance

Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock opened at $202.88 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 52-week low of $169.17 and a 52-week high of $217.60. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a PE ratio of 12.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50 day moving average is $196.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $195.01.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The credit services provider reported $4.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.46. The firm had revenue of $101.26 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.81 million. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 19.43%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.10 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Federal Agricultural Mortgage will post 17.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Bradford T. Nordholm sold 5,073 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.37, for a total transaction of $1,082,426.01. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 41,104 shares in the company, valued at $8,770,360.48. This trade represents a 10.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Federal Agricultural Mortgage

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AGM. Atria Investments Inc raised its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 8,735 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,637,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,004 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 1.8% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,864 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $724,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 7.3% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,106 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westover Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,507 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,282,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. 68.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Federal Agricultural Mortgage

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation provides a secondary market for various loans made to borrowers in the United States. It operates through four segments: Corporate AgFinance, Farm & Ranch, Rural Utilities, and Renewable Energy. The company’s Agricultural Finance line of business engages in purchasing and retaining eligible loans and securities; guaranteeing the payment of principal and interest on securities that represent interests in or obligations secured by pools of eligible loans; servicing eligible loans; and issuing LTSPCs for eligible loans.