Renaissance Technologies LLC Sells 28,200 Shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lowered its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM - Free Report) by 36.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 50,200 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 28,200 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.46% of Federal Agricultural Mortgage worth $9,887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AGM. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. now owns 14,036 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $2,764,000 after acquiring an additional 2,611 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,289,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 181.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 18,172 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $3,405,000 after buying an additional 11,721 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 333,975 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $65,777,000 after buying an additional 14,274 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 63,206 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $12,448,000 after buying an additional 6,317 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted 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.

Insider Activity at Federal Agricultural Mortgage

In related news, Director Robert G. Sexton acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $195.62 per share, with a total value of $195,620.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 13,517 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,195.54. This represents a 7.99 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 2,500 shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.21, for a total transaction of $513,025.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,644 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,773,835.24. The trade was a 22.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Performance

NYSE:AGM traded up $4.60 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $176.60. 40,659 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 44,465. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $188.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $194.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.01. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. has a one year low of $159.64 and a one year high of $217.60.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The credit services provider reported $4.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.17 by $0.46. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a return on equity of 19.43% and a net margin of 12.75%. The company had revenue of $101.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.81 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.10 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. will post 17.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost 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 3.40%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage's dividend payout ratio is 36.47%.

About Federal Agricultural Mortgage

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.