Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) Shares Cross Below 200 Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK - Get Free Report) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $28.41 and traded as low as $24.87. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina shares last traded at $26.58, with a volume of 7,228 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 29th.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $141.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock's 50 day moving average is $27.53 and its 200 day moving average is $28.37.

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

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a boost from Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 606.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 426,893 shares of the bank's stock worth $13,340,000 after purchasing an additional 366,459 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina during the fourth quarter worth approximately $277,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,649 shares of the bank's stock valued at $145,000 after buying an additional 1,219 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,335 shares of the bank's stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 3,335 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 43.83% of the company's stock.

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.