Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Stock Performance

Shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $31.00. 9,834 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,688. The stock has a market capitalization of $169.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 0.60. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina has a 12-month low of $16.35 and a 12-month high of $31.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.25.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.94%.

Insider Transactions at Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

In related news, Director James S. Abernethy sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.50, for a total value of $73,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 83,706 shares in the company, valued at $2,050,797. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 16.94% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina stock. AMG National Trust Bank raised its holdings in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,245 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,993 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank owned 0.67% of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina worth $1,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. 43.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Company Profile

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Peoples Bank that provides various banking products and services for individuals and small-to medium-sized businesses. It offers checking, savings, money market, and retirement accounts; certificates of deposits; and credit and debit cards.