DA Davidson Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Stock

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) had its price target lifted by analysts at DA Davidson from $37.00 to $38.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the bank’s stock. DA Davidson’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.34% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on PEBO. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Peoples Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Hovde Group lifted their price target on shares of Peoples Bancorp from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $34.70.

Peoples Bancorp Trading Down 1.3%

NASDAQ PEBO traded down $0.45 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $33.83. 226,657 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 293,777. The firm has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 0.64. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $32.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Peoples Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $27.49 and a fifty-two week high of $35.46.

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The bank reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $119.33 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $118.72 million. Peoples Bancorp had a net margin of 17.27% and a return on equity of 9.51%. Analysts predict that Peoples Bancorp will post 3.4 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Peoples Bancorp news, EVP Michael Ryan Kirkham sold 986 shares of Peoples Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.47, for a total value of $32,015.42. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $528,903.83. The trade was a 5.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Carol A. Schneeberger sold 1,895 shares of Peoples Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.37, for a total transaction of $59,446.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 19,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $605,723.33. The trade was a 8.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,881 shares of company stock worth $156,792. Insiders own 3.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Peoples Bancorp

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PEBO. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp in the third quarter worth $30,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp in the third quarter worth $35,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp in the third quarter worth $42,000. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Peoples Bancorp in the first quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Peoples Bancorp by 524.0% in the third quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,184 shares of the bank’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,834 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.68% of the company’s stock.

Peoples Bancorp News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Peoples Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results slightly beat expectations — reported EPS roughly $0.81–$0.82 and revenue ~$119.3M, topping consensus by a small margin; profitability and ROE remain solid. PEOPLES BANCORP INC. ANNOUNCES RESULTS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.42 (annualized yield ~4.9%), a ~2% increase and a sign of management’s willingness to return capital; payout represents ~51.7% of Q1 earnings. PEOPLES BANCORP INC. DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: Definitive agreement to acquire Citizens National (Citizens Bank of Kentucky) in a cash-and-stock transaction (~$76.6M reported) — adds scale and geographic diversification in Kentucky and is presented as strategically accretive. PEOPLES BANCORP INC. AND CITIZENS NATIONAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCE DEFINITIVE MERGER AGREEMENT
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst note: Hovde raised its price target to $36 and kept a “market perform” rating, creating modest analyst support for the deal/earnings narrative. (Price target change reported by coverage services.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management materials and conference-call slides/transcript provide detail on loan growth, margins and deal rationale — useful for assessing integration risk and cost saves. Peoples Bancorp Inc. 2026 Q1 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst write-ups (Zacks, Seeking Alpha) note that metrics were broadly in line to slightly above estimates — helpful context but not a catalytic surprise. Compared to Estimates, Peoples Bancorp (PEBO) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Shares are trading lower today — likely reflecting investor caution about the acquisition’s size, potential dilution/financing and integration risk, and the fact the EPS beat was modest rather than standout. Continued market skepticism or broader bank-sector moves could keep pressure on the stock near-term.

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.