Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) EVP Sells $23,232.00 in Stock

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) EVP David Gerken sold 825 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.16, for a total transaction of $23,232.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,509 shares in the company, valued at $211,453.44. This trade represents a 9.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of FMAO stock opened at $28.55 on Thursday. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.77 and a 52-week high of $29.83. The stock has a market cap of $393.13 million, a PE ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $27.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.54.

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

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.25%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on FMAO shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.50 price objective (up from $28.00) on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Hovde Group reduced their price objective on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from $30.00 to $28.50 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FMAO. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 643 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 509 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 4,013 shares during the period. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter worth $152,000. 23.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.