Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC Sells 1,467 Shares of Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO)

Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC lessened its position in shares of Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) by 10.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,164 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,467 shares during the quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC’s holdings in Peoples Bancorp were worth $360,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in Peoples Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Peoples Bancorp during the 1st quarter valued at about $118,000. Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in Peoples Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at about $174,000. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Peoples Bancorp in the fourth quarter worth about $226,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,437 shares of the bank’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.68% of the company’s stock.

Peoples Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ:PEBO traded up $0.68 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $32.03. The company had a trading volume of 38,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 120,838. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Peoples Bancorp Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.84 and a 1-year high of $34.85. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $29.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.35. The firm has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 0.76.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $112.82 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $111.41 million. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 20.17% and a return on equity of 12.78%. Research analysts forecast that Peoples Bancorp Inc. will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

Peoples Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 3rd. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.00%. This is an increase from Peoples Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Peoples Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Peoples Bancorp

In other news, CEO Tyler J. Wilcox sold 8,621 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.01, for a total transaction of $250,095.21. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 40,231 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,167,101.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,344 shares of company stock valued at $271,436. Company insiders own 3.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PEBO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $33.00 price objective (down from $36.00) on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Peoples Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 27th. Hovde Group initiated coverage on Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Monday, April 1st. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.00.

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.