Wedbush Securities Inc. Reduces Position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM)

Wedbush Securities Inc. lowered its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,330 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after selling 67 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Federal Agricultural Mortgage worth $1,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 180.0% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 364 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the fourth quarter worth about $100,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,004 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA purchased a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $208,000. 68.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Federal Agricultural Mortgage news, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 2,500 shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.21, for a total transaction of $513,025.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert G. Sexton purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $195.62 per share, for a total transaction of $195,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,644,195.54. The trade was a 7.99 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Price Performance

Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock opened at $175.18 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.49. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. has a one year low of $169.17 and a one year high of $217.60. The company has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $196.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $196.25.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The credit services provider reported $4.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.17 by $0.46. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 19.43%. The firm had revenue of $101.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.81 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.10 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.43%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s payout ratio is currently 36.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on 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.

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.