Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.11 EPS

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The bank reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.11, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $121.95 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $120.05 million. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 19.17% and a return on equity of 10.79%.

Here are the key takeaways from Peoples Bancorp’s conference call:

• Peoples Bancorp reported adjusted diluted EPS of $0.96, topping consensus, while net interest income, net interest margin, fee income, loan growth, and capital ratios all improved versus the prior quarter.
• Credit costs improved materially, with provision for credit losses down 51% sequentially and annualized net charge-offs falling to 31 basis points from 40 basis points, driven by lower consumer and small-ticket lease charge-offs.
• The company sold about $135 million of available-for-sale securities, taking an $8.2 million loss, as part of its plan to stay below the $10 billion asset threshold and prepare for the pending Citizens merger.
• Management said the Citizens merger remains on track, with regulatory and shareholder approvals still pending, an anticipated close in early Q4 2026, and system conversion targeted for early Q2 2027.
• The company guided to full-year 2026 NIM of 4.1% to 4.3%, with loan growth likely near the low end of its 3% to 5% range due to continued CRE paydowns, while deposit competition and rate repricing remain important variables.

Peoples Bancorp Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ PEBO opened at $40.07 on Thursday. Peoples Bancorp has a 12-month low of $27.49 and a 12-month high of $40.50. The company has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.15.

Peoples Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 3rd. Peoples Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dwight Eric Smith acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $34.51 per share, for a total transaction of $34,510.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 9,256 shares in the company, valued at $319,424.56. This represents a 12.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 3.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PEBO. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 23,996 shares of the bank’s stock worth $711,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Peoples Bancorp by 46.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 101,653 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $3,015,000 after purchasing an additional 32,259 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Peoples Bancorp by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,544 shares of the bank’s stock worth $609,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Peoples Bancorp by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 82,290 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,441,000 after purchasing an additional 5,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Peoples Bancorp by 87.2% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 64,668 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,918,000 after purchasing an additional 30,121 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEBO has been the topic of several research reports. Piper Sandler set a $46.00 price objective on Peoples Bancorp in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Peoples Bancorp from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Peoples Bancorp from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Hovde Group boosted their price target on Peoples Bancorp from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Peoples Bancorp in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.00.

About Peoples Bancorp

Peoples Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Marietta, Ohio. Through its subsidiary Peoples Bank, the company provides a comprehensive range of commercial and consumer banking services designed to serve individuals, businesses and institutional clients. Its deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit and digital banking platforms that enable secure online and mobile access.

On the lending side, Peoples Bancorp offers commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate financing, construction and agricultural lending, as well as residential mortgage products.