Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Sells $85,170.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Director Andrew Briggs sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.39, for a total value of $85,170.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 186,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,296,154.50. This represents a 1.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ:FMAO traded up $0.44 on Friday, reaching $28.80. 56,913 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 53,893. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.45. The firm has a market cap of $396.58 million, a PE ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 0.82. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.77 and a 12 month high of $29.83.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $32.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.54 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 18.54%. Equities research analysts forecast that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s payout ratio is 35.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on FMAO. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 target price (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings cut Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Hovde Group reduced 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Farmers & Merchants Bancorp presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 124.6% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co purchased a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 36.0% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,924 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 948.7% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter worth about $152,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.96% of the company’s stock.

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.