Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Acquires 7,739 Shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM - Free Report) by 240.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,964 shares of the credit services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,739 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned approximately 0.10% of Federal Agricultural Mortgage worth $2,159,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 415,716 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $81,813,000 after purchasing an additional 15,140 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 1,589.4% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 356,001 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $70,114,000 after acquiring an additional 334,928 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 333,975 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $65,777,000 after purchasing an additional 14,274 shares during the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 297,810 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $58,654,000 after purchasing an additional 7,283 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 220,261 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $43,380,000 after buying an additional 21,670 shares during the last quarter. 68.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AGM traded down $2.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $194.06. 53,294 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 44,008. The company has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.49. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $181.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $194.22. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. has a 1-year low of $159.64 and a 1-year high of $217.60.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 9th. The credit services provider reported $4.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.00 by $0.19. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a return on equity of 19.43% and a net margin of 12.75%. The company had revenue of $96.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.33 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. will post 17.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Federal Agricultural Mortgage's payout ratio is 37.08%.

Insider Activity at Federal Agricultural Mortgage

In related news, Director Sara Louise Faivre-Davis sold 350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.26, for a total value of $67,291.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,751 shares of the company's stock, valued at $336,647.26. This trade represents a 16.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.21, for a total value of $513,025.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,773,835.24. This represents a 22.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,850 shares of company stock valued at $782,176 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $215.00 price target (down previously from $230.00) on shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in a research report on Monday.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Profile

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.