Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK) Director Sells $14,060.00 in Stock

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK - Get Free Report) Director James S. Abernethy sold 500 shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina stock in a transaction on Friday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.12, for a total transaction of $14,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 72,776 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,046,461.12. The trade was a 0.68 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEBK traded down $0.29 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $26.95. The stock had a trading volume of 3,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,788. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.74 and a 52 week high of $33.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.04 and a beta of 0.60.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The bank reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 12.85%.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a boost from Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina's dividend payout ratio is presently 26.85%.

Institutional Trading of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 985.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,000 shares of the bank's stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 7,263 shares during the period. De Lisle Partners LLP bought a new stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina during the 3rd quarter worth about $545,000. State Street Corp increased its position in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 54,510 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,384,000 after acquiring an additional 3,791 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 390.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank's stock worth $198,000 after acquiring an additional 6,211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 15.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,366 shares of the bank's stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. 43.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday.

About Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Peoples Bank that provides various banking products and services for individuals and small-to medium-sized businesses. It offers checking, savings, money market, and retirement accounts; certificates of deposits; and credit and debit cards.