Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) Announces Dividend Increase – $0.40 Per Share

Peoples Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBO) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, April 22nd, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be given a dividend of 0.40 per share by the bank on Monday, May 20th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 3rd. This is a positive change from Peoples Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39.

Peoples Bancorp has raised its dividend by an average of 4.2% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 9 years. Peoples Bancorp has a payout ratio of 46.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Peoples Bancorp to earn $3.51 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 45.6%.

Peoples Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ:PEBO opened at $29.65 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $28.35 and its 200 day moving average is $29.45. Peoples Bancorp has a 12 month low of $23.05 and a 12 month high of $34.85. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.88 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Peoples Bancorp from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $33.00 price objective (down previously from $36.00) on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Hovde Group started coverage on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a report on Monday, April 1st. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a report on Friday, February 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $34.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $34.00 price objective on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Peoples Bancorp has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.40.

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.