Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.1250.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Peoples Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 25th. Zacks Research raised Peoples Bancorp from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Peoples Bancorp from $36.00 to $33.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd.

Peoples Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEBO opened at $31.42 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.88. Peoples Bancorp has a twelve month low of $26.21 and a twelve month high of $35.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The bank reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $118.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $116.88 million. Peoples Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 16.57%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Peoples Bancorp will post 3.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 4th. Peoples Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.34%.

Insider Transactions at Peoples Bancorp

In other Peoples Bancorp news, Director W Glenn Hogan acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $28.49 per share, for a total transaction of $28,490.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 535,239 shares in the company, valued at $15,248,959.11. The trade was a 0.19% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kevin R. Reeves bought 1,250 shares of Peoples Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $29.11 per share, for a total transaction of $36,387.50. Following the acquisition, the director owned 13,055 shares in the company, valued at $380,031.05. The trade was a 10.59% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 4,110 shares of company stock worth $118,832. 3.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 132.3% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 864 shares of the bank’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Peoples Bancorp in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Peoples Bancorp in the third quarter worth $35,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Peoples Bancorp in the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Peoples Bancorp during the 1st quarter valued at $62,000. 60.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Peoples Bancorp

Peoples Bancorp Inc operates as the holding company for Peoples Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking products and services. The company accepts various deposit products, including demand deposit accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and governmental deposits; and provides commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, construction, finance, residential real estate, and consumer indirect and direct loans, as well as home equity lines of credit and overdrafts.