Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) Holdings Decreased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its position in Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO - Free Report) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,485,294 shares of the bank's stock after selling 179,657 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 4.18% of Peoples Bancorp worth $47,069,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 172.8% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,094 shares of the bank's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 42.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the bank's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Peoples Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 223.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,964 shares of the bank's stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 2,738 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $241,000. 60.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peoples Bancorp Trading Down 4.7 %

Shares of Peoples Bancorp stock traded down $1.33 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $26.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,315 shares, compared to its average volume of 130,480. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $30.67 and a 200-day moving average of $31.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market cap of $956.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.10 and a beta of 0.63. Peoples Bancorp Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.21 and a twelve month high of $37.07.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.01. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 18.90% and a return on equity of 11.07%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Peoples Bancorp Inc. will post 3.28 EPS for the current year.

Peoples Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.97%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Peoples Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Peoples Bancorp

In other news, Director Carol A. Schneeberger sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.20, for a total value of $30,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 25,686 shares in the company, valued at $775,717.20. This represents a 3.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $37.50 price objective on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Peoples Bancorp from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Peoples Bancorp from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $38.38.

About Peoples Bancorp

Peoples Bancorp Inc operates as the holding company for Peoples Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking products and services. The company accepts various deposit products, including demand deposit accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and governmental deposits; and provides commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, construction, finance, residential real estate, and consumer indirect and direct loans, as well as home equity lines of credit and overdrafts.