Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $30.66 and traded as high as $33.05. Peoples Bancorp shares last traded at $32.79, with a volume of 245,020 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Peoples Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. DA Davidson set a $35.00 target price on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.63.

Peoples Bancorp Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 10.96 and a beta of 0.68. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.70.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $119.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $117.97 million. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 9.51%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Peoples Bancorp Inc. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Peoples Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. Peoples Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.85%.

Insider Transactions at Peoples Bancorp

In related news, Director Carol A. Schneeberger sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.92, for a total value of $33,920.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $719,239.68. This trade represents a 4.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael Ryan Kirkham sold 986 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.47, for a total transaction of $32,015.42. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 16,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $528,903.83. This represents 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 90 days, insiders sold 2,986 shares of company stock worth $96,535. Company insiders own 3.41% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 35.5% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 44,061 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,346,000 after acquiring an additional 11,533 shares in the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Peoples Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,887,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 915,692 shares of the bank’s stock worth $27,965,000 after purchasing an additional 60,921 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 260,719 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $7,962,000 after purchasing an additional 6,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 151,916 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,640,000 after buying an additional 3,830 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.