ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK) versus Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Head-To-Head Survey

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) and ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Peoples Bancorp and ECB Bancorp’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Peoples Bancorp	19.17%	10.71%	1.35%
ECB Bancorp	13.19%	6.55%	0.70%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

60.7% of Peoples Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 30.3% of ECB Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 3.3% of Peoples Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 10.4% of ECB Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

Peoples Bancorp has a beta of 0.59, meaning that its share price is 41% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ECB Bancorp has a beta of 0.45, meaning that its share price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Peoples Bancorp and ECB Bancorp”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Peoples Bancorp	$618.38 million	2.30	$106.78 million	$3.31	11.97
ECB Bancorp	$79.51 million	2.28	$7.77 million	$1.37	15.14

Peoples Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than ECB Bancorp. Peoples Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ECB Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Peoples Bancorp and ECB Bancorp, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Peoples Bancorp	0	3	3	0	2.50
ECB Bancorp	0	0	0	1	4.00

Peoples Bancorp presently has a consensus price target of $42.00, suggesting a potential upside of 6.03%. Given Peoples Bancorp’s higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Peoples Bancorp is more favorable than ECB Bancorp.

Summary

Peoples Bancorp beats ECB Bancorp on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. It also offers debit and automated teller machine (ATM) cards; safe deposit rental facilities; money orders and cashier’s checks; and telephone, mobile, and online banking services. In addition, the company provides various life, health, and property and casualty insurance products; third-party insurance administration; interactive teller machines; insurance premium financing; check deposit and alert notification; commercial and technology equipment leasing; fiduciary and trust; underwriting, origination, and servicing of equipment leases, and equipment financing agreements; and asset management and administration services, as well as employee benefit, retirement, and health care plan administration services. Further, it offers brokerage services through an unaffiliated registered broker-dealers; insurance premium finance lending and leasing; and credit cards to individuals and businesses, as well as provides merchant credit card transaction processing, and person-to-person payment processing services. Peoples Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Marietta, Ohio.

About ECB Bancorp

ECB Bancorp, Inc. operating as a holding company for Everett Co-operative Bank that provides various banking products and services. The company accepts various deposit products, including certificate of deposit accounts, IRAs, money market accounts, savings accounts, demand deposit accounts, and interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking accounts. It also offers one- to four-family residential real estate, commercial real estate and multifamily real estate, construction and land, commercial, and consumer loans, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit. In addition, the company invests in securities, consisting primarily of U.S. government and federal agency obligations, mortgage-backed securities, and corporate bonds. ECB Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1890 and is based in Everett, Massachusetts.