Short Interest in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) Rises By 7.5%

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 167,000 shares, an increase of 7.5% from the October 31st total of 155,400 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 45,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days. Approximately 1.8% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Performance

AGM opened at $212.96 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 12-month low of $165.50 and a 12-month high of $217.60. The business has a 50 day moving average of $193.60 and a 200-day moving average of $188.70. The stock has a market cap of $2.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.64, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.04.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The credit services provider reported $4.10 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $411.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.15 million. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a return on equity of 20.14% and a net margin of 12.59%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Federal Agricultural Mortgage will post 15.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Federal Agricultural Mortgage

In other news, EVP Stephen P. Mullery sold 2,472 shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.28, for a total value of $450,596.16. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,045 shares in the company, valued at $4,018,362.60. This trade represents a 10.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.00, for a total transaction of $208,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,924,480. The trade was a 6.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,467 shares of company stock valued at $1,455,622 in the last 90 days. 2.58% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Federal Agricultural Mortgage

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd raised its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 180.0% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 364 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 160.5% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 521 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the second quarter valued at approximately $108,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the second quarter worth approximately $181,000. 68.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Company 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.