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

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM - Free Report) by 18.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,052 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 2,955 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.12% of Federal Agricultural Mortgage worth $2,571,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AGM. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the fourth quarter valued at about $100,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,004 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $198,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA purchased a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the fourth quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the fourth quarter worth about $209,000. 68.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Up 2.1 %

AGM stock opened at $178.84 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $184.84 and a 200-day moving average of $194.37. 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 capitalization of $1.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.87, a PEG 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.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The credit services provider reported $4.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.17 by $0.46. The firm had revenue of $101.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.81 million. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 19.43%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. will post 17.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. This is an increase from Federal Agricultural Mortgage's previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. Federal Agricultural Mortgage's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.47%.

Insider Transactions at Federal Agricultural Mortgage

In other Federal Agricultural Mortgage news, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.21, for a total value of $513,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,773,835.24. This trade represents a 22.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert G. Sexton purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $195.62 per share, for a total transaction of $195,620.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 13,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,644,195.54. This trade represents a 7.99 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.58% of the company's stock.

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.

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