Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) Position Boosted by Boston Partners

Boston Partners increased its holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 415,716 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,140 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners’ holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage were worth $81,813,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AGM. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,864 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $724,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans bought a new position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the 3rd quarter valued at $3,949,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 141.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 5,022 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $941,000 after purchasing an additional 2,945 shares in the last quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. now owns 11,425 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 1,266 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 68.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AGM opened at $195.00 on Thursday. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. has a one year low of $169.17 and a one year high of $217.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $197.42 and a 200-day moving average of $196.01. The company has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a PE ratio of 11.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.11. 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 (NYSE:AGM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The credit services provider reported $4.63 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. will post 17.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s dividend payout ratio is 36.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Aparna Ramesh sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.86, for a total value of $201,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 9,242 shares in the company, valued at $1,865,590.12. This represents a 9.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.21, for a total value of $513,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 8,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,773,835.24. The trade was a 22.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Federal Agricultural Mortgage from $205.00 to $230.00 and gave the company 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.