DA Davidson Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Stock

Key Points

• DA Davidson raised its price objective on Peoples Bancorp to $38.00 (from $37.00) and keeps a "buy" rating, implying about a 12.34% upside from the current share price.
• Peoples Bancorp's Q1 results modestly beat expectations with EPS $0.82 versus $0.80 and revenue of ~$119.3M, while profitability and return on equity remained solid.
• The board increased the quarterly dividend to $0.42 (annualized yield ~4.9%) and the company agreed to acquire Citizens National (~$76.6M), a move that adds scale but creates potential dilution and integration risk.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by analysts at DA Davidson from $37.00 to $38.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the bank's stock. DA Davidson's price objective points to a potential upside of 12.34% from the company's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Peoples Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Hovde Group raised their price objective on shares of Peoples Bancorp from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $34.70.

Peoples Bancorp Price Performance

PEBO stock traded down $0.45 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $33.83. 226,657 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 293,777. Peoples Bancorp has a one year low of $27.49 and a one year high of $35.46. The stock has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $32.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $119.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $118.72 million. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 9.51%. Equities analysts expect that Peoples Bancorp will post 3.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Peoples Bancorp

In other news, Director Carol A. Schneeberger sold 1,895 shares of Peoples Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.37, for a total transaction of $59,446.15. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,309 shares in the company, valued at $605,723.33. The trade was a 8.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Michael Ryan Kirkham sold 986 shares of Peoples Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.47, for a total transaction of $32,015.42. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,289 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $528,903.83. This represents a 5.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,881 shares of company stock valued at $156,792. 3.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in Peoples Bancorp during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Peoples Bancorp during the first quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 524.0% during the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,184 shares of the bank's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.68% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Peoples Bancorp

Here are the key news stories impacting Peoples Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results slightly beat expectations — reported EPS roughly $0.81–$0.82 and revenue ~$119.3M, topping consensus by a small margin; profitability and ROE remain solid. PEOPLES BANCORP INC. ANNOUNCES RESULTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.42 (annualized yield ~4.9%), a ~2% increase and a sign of management’s willingness to return capital; payout represents ~51.7% of Q1 earnings. PEOPLES BANCORP INC. DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: Definitive agreement to acquire Citizens National (Citizens Bank of Kentucky) in a cash-and-stock transaction (~$76.6M reported) — adds scale and geographic diversification in Kentucky and is presented as strategically accretive. PEOPLES BANCORP INC. AND CITIZENS NATIONAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCE DEFINITIVE MERGER AGREEMENT
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst note: Hovde raised its price target to $36 and kept a "market perform" rating, creating modest analyst support for the deal/earnings narrative. (Price target change reported by coverage services.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management materials and conference-call slides/transcript provide detail on loan growth, margins and deal rationale — useful for assessing integration risk and cost saves. Peoples Bancorp Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst write-ups (Zacks, Seeking Alpha) note that metrics were broadly in line to slightly above estimates — helpful context but not a catalytic surprise. Compared to Estimates, Peoples Bancorp (PEBO) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Shares are trading lower today — likely reflecting investor caution about the acquisition's size, potential dilution/financing and integration risk, and the fact the EPS beat was modest rather than standout. Continued market skepticism or broader bank-sector moves could keep pressure on the stock near-term.

About Peoples Bancorp

Peoples Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Marietta, Ohio. Through its subsidiary Peoples Bank, the company provides a comprehensive range of commercial and consumer banking services designed to serve individuals, businesses and institutional clients. Its deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit and digital banking platforms that enable secure online and mobile access.

On the lending side, Peoples Bancorp offers commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate financing, construction and agricultural lending, as well as residential mortgage products.

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