MetLife Investment Management LLC Buys New Shares in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK)

MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,711 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $85,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 27.8% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,590 shares of the bank’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 564 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 15.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,366 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 390.6% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,801 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $198,000 after acquiring an additional 6,211 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina during the fourth quarter valued at about $296,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 18,688 shares of the bank’s stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 2,014 shares during the last quarter. 43.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Stock Down 0.5 %

PEBK stock opened at $28.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $155.31 million, a P/E ratio of 9.55 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $26.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.63. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. has a 1-year low of $23.74 and a 1-year high of $33.31.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina (NASDAQ:PEBK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The bank reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 12.85%. The company had revenue of $20.47 million for the quarter.

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.81%. This is a positive change from Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th.

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.