Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Short Interest Down 9.2% in April

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 158,100 shares, a decrease of 9.2% from the March 31st total of 174,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 18,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.4 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Hovde Group began coverage on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a research note on Friday, April 5th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jo Ellen Hornish bought 3,594 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $20.56 per share, with a total value of $73,892.64. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 40,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $822,400. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.76% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FMAO. Revisor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the third quarter worth $203,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $172,000. Tufton Capital Management bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $242,000. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $202,000. Finally, FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in the first quarter worth $41,525,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.96% of the company's stock.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ FMAO traded down $0.71 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $21.01. 15,149 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,242. The business's fifty day moving average price is $20.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $20.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $287.08 million, a P/E ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.61. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a 52 week low of $16.90 and a 52 week high of $27.78.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.09. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a net margin of 14.62% and a return on equity of 7.46%. The business had revenue of $23.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.90 million. Equities research analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 29th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.69%.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Company Profile

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for The Farmers & Merchants State Bank that provides commercial banking services to individuals and small businesses in Northwest Ohio and Northeast Indiana. The company offers checking, savings, and time deposit accounts; certificates of deposit; and custodial services for individual retirement and health savings accounts.

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