Virtu Financial LLC Takes $274,000 Position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,393 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $274,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 415,716 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $81,813,000 after acquiring an additional 15,140 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 211.5% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 4,984 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 3,384 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 1,589.4% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 356,001 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $70,114,000 after purchasing an additional 334,928 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,475 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $684,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. now owns 14,036 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $2,764,000 after buying an additional 2,611 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Federal Agricultural Mortgage news, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.21, for a total transaction of $513,025.00. Following the sale, the director now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Aparna Ramesh sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 9,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,865,590.12. This trade represents a 9.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.58% of the company’s stock.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE AGM opened at $193.51 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.11. Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. has a 12 month low of $169.17 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $198.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.11.

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. The company had revenue of $101.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.81 million. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a return on equity of 19.43% and a net margin of 12.75%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.10 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. will post 17.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. This is a boost from Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.47%.

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.