Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM - Get Free Report) was the target of a large 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 days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Activity at Federal Agricultural Mortgage

In related news, Director Mitchell A. Johnson sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,060 shares in the company, valued at $2,263,871.40. This represents a 11.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Bradford T. Nordholm sold 5,073 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.37, for a total transaction of $1,082,426.01. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 41,104 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,770,360.48. This trade represents a 10.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,573 shares of company stock worth $1,808,561. 2.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Federal Agricultural Mortgage

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd raised its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 180.0% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 364 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $181,000. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $207,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. grew its position in 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 worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 1,171 shares during the last quarter. 68.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Performance

AGM stock traded down $0.99 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $196.26. The stock had a trading volume of 24,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 52,681. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 52 week low of $169.17 and a 52 week high of $217.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $202.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $193.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.07.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM - Get Free Report) last released 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). The business had revenue of $411.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.15 million. Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a return on equity of 20.14% and a net margin of 12.59%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Federal Agricultural Mortgage will post 15.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be paid a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.01%.

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.