Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Stock Up 0.9 %

PEBK stock traded up $0.25 during trading on Thursday, reaching $28.40. The stock had a trading volume of 7,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,216. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina has a 1-year low of $16.35 and a 1-year high of $30.99. The company has a market capitalization of $155.06 million, a P/E ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.89.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 22nd. The bank reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina had a return on equity of 14.37% and a net margin of 16.29%. The firm had revenue of $19.40 million during the quarter.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James S. Abernethy sold 3,000 shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.50, for a total value of $73,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 83,706 shares in the company, valued at $2,050,797. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 16.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina stock. AMG National Trust Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,245 shares of the bank’s stock after buying 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. Institutional investors own 43.83% of the company’s stock.

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.