Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) Short Interest Up 7.5% in November

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of 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. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 45,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Price Performance

NYSE AGM opened at $216.14 on Thursday. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 12 month low of $165.50 and a 12 month high of $217.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $195.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $189.33.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last posted 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). Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a net margin of 12.59% and a return on equity of 20.14%. The company had revenue of $411.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Federal Agricultural Mortgage will post 15.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 1,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $307,035.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,060 shares in the company, valued at $2,263,871.40. This trade represents a 11.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen P. Mullery sold 2,472 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.28, for a total transaction of $450,596.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,045 shares in the company, valued at $4,018,362.60. This represents a 10.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,782 shares of company stock valued at $1,326,205. Insiders own 2.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AGM. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd raised its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 180.0% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 364 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 160.5% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 521 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the 2nd quarter valued at $108,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the 2nd quarter valued at $181,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.03% of the company’s stock.

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.