First Trust Advisors LP Sells 2,955 Shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM)

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM - Free Report) by 18.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,052 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,955 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.12% of Federal Agricultural Mortgage worth $2,571,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 181.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 18,172 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $3,405,000 after buying an additional 11,721 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 10.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 319,701 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $59,911,000 after purchasing an additional 29,917 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 3,817 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $752,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the fourth quarter worth about $209,000. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 2.5% in 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 during the period. 68.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Price Performance

Shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock traded up $8.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $185.74. 54,565 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 43,843. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. has a fifty-two week low of $159.64 and a fifty-two week high of $217.60. The company has a market cap of $2.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $182.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The credit services provider reported $4.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.00 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $96.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.33 million. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a return on equity of 19.43% and a net margin of 12.75%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. will post 17.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Federal Agricultural Mortgage's previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Federal Agricultural Mortgage from $205.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Activity at Federal Agricultural Mortgage

In related news, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 8,644 shares in the company, valued at $1,773,835.24. This trade represents a 22.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert G. Sexton acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $195.62 per share, with a total value of $195,620.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 13,517 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,644,195.54. The trade was a 7.99 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.