Short Interest in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) Rises By 12.0%

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 188,500 shares, a growth of 12.0% from the November 30th total of 168,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 43,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Price Performance

NYSE:AGM traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $196.84. 16,933 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 52,644. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.49 and a quick ratio of 0.49. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 1-year low of $169.17 and a 1-year high of $217.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $202.45 and its 200-day moving average is $193.10. The stock has a market cap of $2.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.07.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The credit services provider reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $411.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.15 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.13 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Federal Agricultural Mortgage will post 15.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.01%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Bradford T. Nordholm sold 5,073 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.37, for a total value of $1,082,426.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 41,104 shares in the company, valued at $8,770,360.48. This trade represents a 10.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.00, for a total transaction of $208,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,060 shares in the company, valued at $2,924,480. This represents a 6.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 8,573 shares of company stock valued at $1,808,561. Insiders own 2.58% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AGM. nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the second quarter worth $36,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd lifted its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 180.0% during the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 364 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the 2nd quarter worth about $181,000. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,106 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 4,182.1% during the 3rd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,199 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 1,171 shares during the last quarter. 68.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.