Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) Short Interest Up 7.7% in July

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Co. (NYSE:AGM) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 165,500 shares, an increase of 7.7% from the July 15th total of 153,700 shares. Currently, 1.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 53,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 35.0% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 15,252 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $2,758,000 after purchasing an additional 3,957 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage in the second quarter valued at about $181,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage during the second quarter worth about $1,448,000. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 6.9% during the second quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,962 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd lifted its position in Federal Agricultural Mortgage by 32.6% in the second quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 2,777 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $502,000 after purchasing an additional 682 shares during the period. 68.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Stock Performance

Shares of Federal Agricultural Mortgage stock traded up $1.70 on Friday, hitting $183.92. The stock had a trading volume of 38,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 58,242. The stock has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Federal Agricultural Mortgage has a 52-week low of $140.44 and a 52-week high of $217.60. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $187.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $185.58.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage (NYSE:AGM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The credit services provider reported $3.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.46). Federal Agricultural Mortgage had a net margin of 13.79% and a return on equity of 22.01%. The firm had revenue of $406.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $91.77 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.86 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Federal Agricultural Mortgage will post 16.67 EPS for the current year.

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. Federal Agricultural Mortgage’s payout ratio is 34.15%.

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.