Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMAO) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 254,000 shares, an increase of 78.4% from the May 31st total of 142,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 25,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 10.0 days.

Institutional Trading of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FMAO. Revisor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth about $203,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $172,000. Tufton Capital Management bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $242,000. Buckingham Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $202,000. Finally, FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH bought a new stake in Farmers & Merchants Bancorp during the 1st quarter worth about $41,525,000. 23.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on FMAO shares. Hovde Group started coverage on Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Friday, April 5th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $24.00 price target on shares of Farmers & Merchants Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, June 12th.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FMAO traded up $0.45 on Friday, hitting $23.22. The stock had a trading volume of 96,881 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,517. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $21.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp has a twelve month low of $16.90 and a twelve month high of $27.78. The company has a market capitalization of $317.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.60 and a beta of 0.62.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp (NASDAQ:FMAO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.04. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp had a return on equity of 7.01% and a net margin of 13.34%. The business had revenue of $42.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $23.10 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Farmers & Merchants Bancorp will post 1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 5th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.35%.

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.