Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) Shares Cross Below 50 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK) crossed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $43.81 and traded as low as $43.24. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina shares last traded at $43.47, with a volume of 20,731 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Strong Buy”.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $237.35 million, a PE ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 0.31. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.49.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 19th. The bank reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 18.93%. The firm had revenue of $23.38 million for the quarter.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 3rd. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina news, Director James S. Abernethy sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.93, for a total value of $26,358.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 34,300 shares in the company, valued at $1,506,799. This represents a 1.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert C. Abernethy, Jr. sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.13, for a total value of $51,756.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 57,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,482,821.58. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 1,100 shares of company stock worth $47,536 and have sold 12,250 shares worth $532,248. 14.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GTS Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina in the 2nd quarter worth about $219,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina in the first quarter worth about $236,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina in the first quarter worth about $369,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 3.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 35,324 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,383,000 after acquiring an additional 1,112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 33.3% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 37,614 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,473,000 after acquiring an additional 9,407 shares during the last quarter. 43.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Company Profile

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc is the bank holding company for Peoples Bank, a community banking institution headquartered in Newton, North Carolina. Through its banking subsidiary, the company provides financial services to individuals, families, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Peoples Bank offers deposit products, including checking, savings, money market and certificate of deposit accounts, along with consumer, residential mortgage, commercial and real estate lending.