StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM)

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM – Get Rating) in a report published on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the credit services provider’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on AGM. Sidoti cut shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $139.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 23rd. Seaport Res Ptn reissued a buy rating on shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in a research report on Monday, January 23rd.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Down 3.9 %

AGM stock opened at $126.14 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $133.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.85. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 52 week low of $90.38 and a 52 week high of $149.37.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 15th. This is an increase from Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s payout ratio is presently 31.63%.

Insider Activity at Federal Agricultural Mortgage

In related news, Director Charles A. Stones sold 344 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.54, for a total transaction of $50,065.76. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $119,924.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Republic Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 3.5% in the third quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,935 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $886,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,113,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the third quarter worth $200,000. Finally, Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 10,707 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $1,207,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 66.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Federal Agricultural Mortgage

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Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. is a stockholder-owned, federally chartered corporation. engages in the provision of a secondary market for agricultural real estate and rural housing mortgage loans, rural utilities loans, and loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture. It combines private capital and public sponsorship to serve a public purpose.