Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Director Purchases $34,510.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Director Dwight Eric Smith purchased 1,000 shares at $34.51 each totaling $34,510, increasing his stake 12.11% to 9,256 shares valued at about $319,425.
• Dividend raised: the quarterly payout was increased to $0.42 (annualized $1.68) for a ~4.8% yield, with an ex-dividend date of May 4 and payment on May 18.
• The bank beat Q1 estimates (EPS $0.82 vs $0.80; revenue $119.33M vs $118.72M) and several analysts have lifted price targets, leaving a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $37 target.

Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) Director Dwight Eric Smith acquired 1,000 shares of Peoples Bancorp stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $34.51 per share, with a total value of $34,510.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 9,256 shares of the company's stock, valued at $319,424.56. The trade was a 12.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Peoples Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of Peoples Bancorp stock traded up $0.42 on Tuesday, reaching $34.92. The stock had a trading volume of 296,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 300,140. The business's 50-day moving average price is $33.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. Peoples Bancorp Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.49 and a fifty-two week high of $35.46. The stock has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.19 and a beta of 0.64.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $0.82 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 analysts' expectations of $118.72 million. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 17.92% and a return on equity of 9.82%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Peoples Bancorp Inc. will post 3.39 EPS for the current year.

Peoples Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 4th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 4th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. This is a positive change from Peoples Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Peoples Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on PEBO shares. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Peoples Bancorp from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Peoples Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Peoples Bancorp from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Hovde Group increased 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 note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Peoples Bancorp currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $37.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 24,348 shares of the bank's stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 2.5% in the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 16,600 shares of the bank's stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 1.4% in the third quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 29,449 shares of the bank's stock valued at $883,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 35,520 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 15,582 shares of the bank's stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.68% of the company's stock.

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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