Victory Capital Management Inc. Buys 153 Shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM)

Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,017 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage were worth $791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AGM. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans bought a new position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the third quarter worth about $3,949,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 141.8% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 5,022 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $941,000 after buying an additional 2,945 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 7.8% during the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 1,266 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the third quarter worth about $300,000. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 1.0% during the third quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 37,605 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $7,048,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.03% of the company’s stock.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE AGM opened at $192.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.11. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $197.51 and its 200-day moving average is $195.98. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. has a one year low of $169.17 and a one year high of $217.60.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The credit services provider reported $4.63 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $101.26 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on Federal Agricultural Mortgage from $205.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Activity at Federal Agricultural Mortgage

In related news, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 2,500 shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.21, for a total value of $513,025.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 8,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,773,835.24. This trade represents a 22.43 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert G. Sexton purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $195.62 per share, with a total value of $195,620.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 13,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,644,195.54. This represents a 7.99 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Federal Agricultural Mortgage

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.