Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $26.01 and last traded at $26.87, with a volume of 502 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $27.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PEBO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Peoples Bancorp from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $37.50 price objective on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Peoples Bancorp from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $38.38.

Peoples Bancorp Stock Up 4.6 %

The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm's 50 day moving average is $30.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.84.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 21st. The bank reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Peoples Bancorp Inc. will post 3.28 EPS for the current year.

Peoples Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. Peoples Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.34%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Carol A. Schneeberger sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.20, for a total transaction of $30,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 25,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $775,717.20. This represents a 3.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.41% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Peoples Bancorp

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Peoples Bancorp by 172.8% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,094 shares of the bank's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 815.7% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,108 shares of the bank's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 987 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 42.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,252 shares of the bank's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 1,426.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,610 shares of the bank's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 2,439 shares during the period. 60.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Peoples Bancorp Company Profile

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.