Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.00.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Peoples Bancorp from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Piper Sandler set a $46.00 price target on Peoples Bancorp in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Peoples Bancorp from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Peoples Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of PEBO opened at $41.38 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 0.61. Peoples Bancorp has a twelve month low of $27.49 and a twelve month high of $42.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a 50 day moving average of $38.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.32.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The bank reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.11. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 19.17% and a return on equity of 10.71%. The business had revenue of $121.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $120.05 million. As a group, analysts predict that Peoples Bancorp will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Peoples Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Monday, August 3rd will be paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. Peoples Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.76%.

Insider Activity at Peoples Bancorp

In related news, Director Dwight Eric Smith purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $39.81 per share, with a total value of $39,810.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 10,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $408,291.36. This represents a 10.80% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Matthew Edgell sold 3,000 shares of Peoples Bancorp stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.27, for a total transaction of $123,810.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 20,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $832,952.41. The trade was a 12.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 24,366 shares of the bank’s stock worth $801,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in Peoples Bancorp by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 24,348 shares of the bank’s stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 2.5% during the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 1.2% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 15,582 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. 60.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.