James S. Abernethy Sells 500 Shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK) Stock

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK) Director James S. Abernethy sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.12, for a total value of $14,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 72,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,046,461.12. This trade represents a 0.68 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Stock Down 4.7 %

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina stock opened at $27.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $28.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.43. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.74 and a fifty-two week high of $33.31. The company has a market capitalization of $149.55 million, a PE ratio of 9.20 and a beta of 0.60.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The bank reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina had a return on equity of 12.85% and a net margin of 15.08%.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,590 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 564 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina in the fourth quarter valued at $82,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina in the fourth quarter valued at $85,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,366 shares of the bank’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 35.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,649 shares of the bank’s stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 1,219 shares during the period. 43.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

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.