Bank of New York Mellon Corp Invests $1.52 Million in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. $FMAO

Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 49,847 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,524,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.36% of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 72.2% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 813 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth $1,319,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 15.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 17,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $443,000 after acquiring an additional 2,326 shares during the period. Rhino Investment Partners Inc bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the first quarter valued at about $1,765,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp by 37.0% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 38,041 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $977,000 after purchasing an additional 10,279 shares during the last quarter. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Gerken sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.72, for a total value of $33,720.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at $219,483.48. The trade was a 13.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Andrew J. Briggs sold 2,402 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total transaction of $84,190.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 49,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,722,637.40. The trade was a 4.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 69,402 shares of company stock worth $2,193,820. 7.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on FMAO. 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 research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Farmers & Merchants Bancorp from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. One investment 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 stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $32.25.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

FMAO opened at $34.91 on Thursday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $33.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.15. 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 stock has a market cap of $480.71 million, a PE ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 0.80. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.77 and a 1 year high of $35.94.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The financial services provider reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $34.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.05 million. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 10.72%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc. will post 3.05 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.62%.

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.

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