Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Hovde Group Analyst Says

Key Points

• Hovde Group raised its price target on Peoples Bancorp to $36 (from $33) while keeping a "market perform" rating, implying about a 5.0% upside; the stock's consensus remains a "Hold" with an average target of $34.10.
• Q1 results modestly beat expectations — EPS $0.82 vs. $0.80 and revenue roughly in line at $119.3M, and management increased the quarterly dividend to $0.42 (yield ~4.9%), supporting income-focused investors.
• Peoples announced a $76.6M acquisition of Citizens National, which could be accretive by adding scale and deposits but brings execution/integration risk and potential near-term dilution; insiders have also sold shares recently.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by equities research analysts at Hovde Group from $33.00 to $36.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday. The brokerage presently has a "market perform" rating on the bank's stock. Hovde Group's price target would indicate a potential upside of 5.02% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. DA Davidson set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Peoples Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $34.10.

Peoples Bancorp Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Peoples Bancorp stock opened at $34.28 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $32.95 and a 200-day moving average of $31.29. The stock has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 11.46 and a beta of 0.64. Peoples Bancorp has a 52-week low of $26.61 and a 52-week high of $35.46. 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 (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $119.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $118.72 million. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 9.51%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Peoples Bancorp will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Carol A. Schneeberger sold 1,895 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 8.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 16,289 shares of the company's stock, valued at $528,903.83. The trade was a 5.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,881 shares of company stock worth $156,792. 3.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PEBO. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL increased its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 211.5% in the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 83,279 shares of the bank's stock worth $2,498,000 after acquiring an additional 56,548 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 216,843 shares of the bank's stock worth $6,503,000 after acquiring an additional 52,608 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 990,923 shares of the bank's stock worth $29,718,000 after acquiring an additional 75,231 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Peoples Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth about $541,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Peoples Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth about $487,000. 60.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peoples Bancorp News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results slightly beat expectations — EPS of $0.82 vs. consensus ~$0.80 and revenue roughly in line at $119.3M; management provided slides and an earnings call transcript, which showed stable margins and a 9.5% ROE that support the bank’s core profitability story. PEOPLES BANCORP INC. ANNOUNCES RESULTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increased to $0.42/share (ex-div May 4), continuing a >10‑year growth streak and yielding ~4.9% — the payout (~51.7% of Q1 earnings) supports income-focused investors and signals management confidence in cash flow. PEOPLES BANCORP INC. DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition announced — Peoples will acquire Citizens National (Paintsville, KY) in a $76.6M cash+stock deal, which adds scale and deposit footprint in an adjacent market and can be accretive over time if integration goes smoothly. PEOPLES BANCORP INC. AND CITIZENS NATIONAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCE DEFINITIVE MERGER AGREEMENT
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media takes highlight the modest nature of the beat and provide context — Zacks and MarketBeat coverage note EPS/revenue beats but show incremental improvement rather than a major breakout, so near-term upside may be limited absent clearer guidance. Peoples Bancorp (PEBO) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Slides, transcript and investor materials are available for deeper review (useful for investors who want line-item detail on loan/deposit trends, NIM, credit metrics and merger assumptions). View Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Merger risks — the Citizens deal uses cash and stock and introduces execution/integration risk and potential near-term dilution; investors often mark down regional banks on deal uncertainty until cost saves and revenue synergies are proven. Peoples Bancorp to buy Citizens National in $76.6M deal

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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