Insider Selling: Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Director Sells 1,000 Shares of Stock

Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) Director Carol Schneeberger sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.92, for a total transaction of $33,920.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 21,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $719,239.68. The trade was a 4.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Peoples Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of PEBO traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $33.88. 252,880 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 330,683. The stock has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $31.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.17. Peoples Bancorp Inc. has a 1 year low of $26.21 and a 1 year high of $34.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The bank reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $119.57 million for 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 9.61%. Equities analysts anticipate that Peoples Bancorp Inc. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Peoples Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 2nd will be issued a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Peoples Bancorp’s payout ratio is presently 54.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on PEBO shares. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Peoples Bancorp from $36.00 to $33.50 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Peoples Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. DA Davidson set a $35.00 price target on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Peoples Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Peoples Bancorp currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.63.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp during the 4th quarter valued at $243,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 35,520 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,067,000 after buying an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Peoples Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth $407,000. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Peoples Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at about $889,000. Finally, Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 24.0% in the fourth quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 36,525 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 7,076 shares in the last quarter. 60.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.