Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• Technical breakout: Shares crossed above their 200‑day moving average (200‑day MA $31.00), trading as high as $33.93 and last at $33.66 on volume ~263,847; consensus analyst stance is a "Moderate Buy" (consensus target $33.63), with DA Davidson at $35 and Weiss upgrading to a Buy.
• Fundamentals solid: Q4 results beat expectations (EPS $0.93 vs $0.88, revenue $119.6M vs $118.0M), with a 17.3% net margin and 9.5% ROE; the stock trades at a P/E of 11.26 and the firm has a $1.21B market cap, with analysts forecasting $3.28 EPS for the year.
• Income and ownership: The company pays a $0.41 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~4.9%, payout ratio 54.85%); insiders have sold shares recently while institutional investors own about 60.7% of the stock.

Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $31.00 and traded as high as $33.93. Peoples Bancorp shares last traded at $33.66, with a volume of 263,847 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on PEBO. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Peoples Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. DA Davidson set a $35.00 price target on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $33.63.

Peoples Bancorp Price Performance

The company's fifty day moving average is $32.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current 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 data on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.05. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 9.51%. The business had revenue of $119.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $117.97 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Peoples Bancorp Inc. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd were issued a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. Peoples Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.85%.

Insider Activity at Peoples Bancorp

In related news, Director Carol A. Schneeberger sold 1,895 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.37, for a total value of $59,446.15. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,309 shares in the company, valued at $605,723.33. This represents a 8.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Ryan Kirkham sold 986 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.47, for a total transaction of $32,015.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,289 shares in the company, valued at $528,903.83. This represents a 5.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 5,881 shares of company stock worth $187,392 over the last 90 days. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,080,137 shares of the bank's stock worth $62,467,000 after purchasing an additional 48,166 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 8.2% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 990,923 shares of the bank's stock worth $29,718,000 after purchasing an additional 75,231 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 877,629 shares of the bank's stock worth $26,360,000 after purchasing an additional 3,427 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 472,456 shares of the bank's stock worth $14,188,000 after purchasing an additional 72,392 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 27.8% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 447,339 shares of the bank's stock worth $13,416,000 after purchasing an additional 97,391 shares during the period. 60.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peoples Bancorp Company Profile

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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