Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK – Get Rating) in a report published on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Stock Performance

PEBK opened at $32.06 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.75. The company has a market capitalization of $181.46 million, a PE ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 0.59. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina has a 1 year low of $24.42 and a 1 year high of $34.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 23rd. The bank reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $20.82 million during the quarter. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 19.88%.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. This is an increase from Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 2nd. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.67%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William Gregory Terry sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.50, for a total transaction of $325,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $589,030. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 18.61% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Susquehanna International Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina during the 4th quarter worth $266,000. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 59.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,840 shares of the bank’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 3,285 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,327 shares of the bank’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 13,487 shares of the bank’s stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. Finally, rhino investment partners Inc increased its holdings in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 180.2% in the 4th quarter. rhino investment partners Inc now owns 126,595 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,122,000 after purchasing an additional 81,407 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 34.70% of the company’s stock.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Company Profile

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Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc is the holding company of the Peoples Bank, which engages in the provision of a full suite of commercial and personal banking products and services. Its business includes personal, business, online and mobile banking, personal and business loans, treasury management, and wealth management services.