Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Peoples Bancorp has a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy (three holds, three buys) with an average 12‑month price target of $37 and several recent upgrades/raised targets (e.g., Piper Sandler to $41, DA Davidson to $38).
• Insider activity shows a director purchased 1,000 shares at $34.51 while an EVP sold 986 shares; insiders have sold 4,881 shares in the last 90 days and own 3.31% of the company, while institutional investors own about 60.68%.
• The bank raised its quarterly dividend to $0.42 (annualized $1.68, ~4.9% yield), reported Q1 EPS of $0.82 beating estimates, and the stock trades near $34.31 with a market cap of $1.23 billion and a P/E of 11.00.

Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $37.00.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on PEBO shares. Weiss Ratings raised Peoples Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Hovde Group increased their price target on Peoples Bancorp from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. DA Davidson increased their price target on Peoples Bancorp from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on Peoples Bancorp from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Peoples Bancorp

In other news, Director Dwight Eric Smith purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $34.51 per share, with a total value of $34,510.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 9,256 shares in the company, valued at $319,424.56. This trade represents a 12.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael Ryan Kirkham sold 986 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.47, for a total value of $32,015.42. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 16,289 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $528,903.83. The trade was a 5.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,881 shares of company stock valued at $156,792. 3.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 24,366 shares of the bank's stock valued at $801,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 163.3% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 14,813 shares of the bank's stock valued at $487,000 after acquiring an additional 9,188 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 43.5% during the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 69,663 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,290,000 after acquiring an additional 21,107 shares during the last quarter. Peoples Bank OH lifted its position in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Peoples Bank OH now owns 443,618 shares of the bank's stock valued at $14,582,000 after acquiring an additional 7,043 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 36,540 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,201,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. 60.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Peoples Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of PEBO stock opened at $34.31 on Thursday. Peoples Bancorp has a 12-month low of $27.49 and a 12-month high of $35.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.02. Peoples Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.75% and a net margin of 17.92%.The business had revenue of $119.33 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $118.72 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Peoples Bancorp will post 3.41 EPS for the current year.

Peoples Bancorp Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 4th. This is an increase from Peoples Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Peoples Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is 53.85%.

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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