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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AGM opened at $212.49 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 1 year low of $165.50 and a 1 year high of $217.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $194.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $189.14.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The credit services provider reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.14 by ($0.04). Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a net margin of 12.59% and a return on equity of 20.14%. The business had revenue of $411.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Federal Agricultural Mortgage will post 15.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $1.40 dividend. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s payout ratio is 36.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.69, for a total value of $307,035.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,060 shares in the company, valued at $2,263,871.40. The trade was a 11.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Stephen P. Mullery sold 2,472 shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.28, for a total transaction of $450,596.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,018,362.60. This trade represents a 10.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,782 shares of company stock worth $1,326,205 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Federal Agricultural Mortgage

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 10.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 319,701 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $59,911,000 after purchasing an additional 29,917 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 226,983 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $42,539,000 after acquiring an additional 20,603 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 5.9% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 182,569 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $34,215,000 after acquiring an additional 10,194 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 25.7% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 178,008 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $32,187,000 after purchasing an additional 36,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rice Hall James & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 10.6% in the third quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 172,129 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $32,259,000 after purchasing an additional 16,487 shares during the period. 68.03% of the stock is currently 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.