Peoples Bancorp Stock Price, News & Analysis

Peoples Bancorp Inc/OH (NASDAQ: PEBO) is a diversified financial services holding company in the commercial banking industry. According to company disclosures, Peoples makes available a complete line of banking, trust and investment, insurance, premium financing and equipment leasing solutions through its subsidiaries. It is identified in regulatory filings as an Ohio corporation and is a member of the Russell 3000 index of U.S. publicly traded companies.

Peoples has been headquartered in Marietta, Ohio since 1902, reflecting a long history as a community-focused financial institution. Company news releases describe a heritage of financial stability, growth and community impact. As reported in multiple periods, Peoples manages billions of dollars in total assets and operates more than one hundred locations, including over one hundred full-service bank branches across Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland. These locations operate primarily under Peoples Bank, which includes the divisions of Peoples Investment Services, Peoples Premium Finance and North Star Leasing.

Business model and services

As a financial holding company and community bank, Peoples generates activity through traditional banking products and a range of related financial services. Public descriptions state that Peoples offers demand deposit accounts, savings accounts and real estate mortgage loans. It also provides merchant credit card transaction processing services, corporate and personal trust services, and brokerage services. In addition, Peoples offers life, health, property and casualty insurance products, as well as premium financing and equipment leasing solutions through its specialty finance businesses.

The company reports that it delivers services through several subsidiaries, including Peoples Bank, Peoples Insurance Agency, LLC, and Vantage Financial, LLC. Within Peoples Bank, the Peoples Investment Services, Peoples Premium Finance and North Star Leasing divisions contribute to trust and investment services, premium finance activities and leasing income. Company earnings releases highlight non-interest income streams such as lease income, insurance income, trust and investment income, electronic banking income, mortgage banking income, bank-owned life insurance income and deposit account service charges.

Geographic footprint and community banking focus

Peoples describes itself as a community bank with an emphasis on serving local markets. It operates full-service branches in multiple states, including Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland. Across these markets, Peoples provides consumer and commercial banking services, including commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans, residential real estate loans, construction loans, premium finance loans, indirect consumer loans and leases, as detailed in its earnings discussions.

Company communications emphasize a vision to be the "Best Community Bank in America" and reference community impact as part of its heritage. While specific community programs are not detailed in the provided materials, the repeated focus on community banking, local branches and regional coverage illustrates the company’s positioning within the finance and insurance sector as a regional, relationship-focused institution.

Financial characteristics and segments

Peoples’ public financial information shows that it earns net interest income from its loan and securities portfolios and non-interest income from various fee-based and insurance-related activities. Earnings releases discuss net interest income, net interest margin, provisions for credit losses, non-interest income excluding net gains and losses, and non-interest expense. The company also reports on efficiency ratio, tangible equity, tangible assets and tangible book value per common share in its investor materials and Form 8-K filings.

Loan and lease balances include commercial and industrial loans, other commercial real estate loans, residential real estate loans, construction loans, premium finance loans, indirect consumer loans and leases. Management commentary in earnings releases notes that growth in these categories, along with changes in funding costs and accretion income from acquisitions, affects net interest income and margin. Non-interest income includes lease income from Vantage Financial and North Star Leasing, trust and investment income associated with assets under administration and management, insurance income, electronic banking income and other fees such as swap fee income.

On the expense side, Peoples reports salaries and employee benefit costs, data processing and software expenses, professional fees, operating lease expense, amortization of other intangible assets, and other non-interest expenses. The company tracks and discloses efficiency ratio as a measure of operating cost relative to revenue, and it provides reconciliations of certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as pre-provision net revenue and net income adjusted for non-core items, in its Form 8-K filings.

Risk management and asset quality

Peoples’ earnings releases describe its approach to credit risk through the allowance for credit losses and the use of a current expected credit loss (CECL) model. The company records provisions for credit losses based on net charge-offs, loan growth, reserves for individually analyzed loans and leases, reserves for leases originated by the North Star Leasing division, and economic forecasts used within the CECL model. Management commentary highlights key asset quality metrics, including criticized loans, classified loans, delinquency trends, nonperforming assets and net charge-offs, as well as the percentage of the loan portfolio considered current.

The company also discusses its investment securities portfolio, including available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities, and notes that these assets are one component of its liquidity profile. Peoples reports on unrealized losses in accumulated other comprehensive loss, the duration of the investment portfolio, and the role of these securities in its asset-liability management program. Liquidity sources described include cash and cash equivalents, unpledged government and agency investment securities, unpledged non-agency investment securities, borrowing capacity through the Federal Home Loan Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank, and other contingent sources.

Capital, shareholders and index membership

Peoples reports total stockholders’ equity, goodwill and other intangible assets, tangible equity and tangible assets in its investor presentations and Form 8-K filings. It calculates and discloses tangible equity to tangible assets ratios and tangible book value per common share. The company also reports return on average assets, return on average stockholders’ equity and return on average tangible equity, including versions adjusted for non-core items and excluding amortization of other intangible assets.

Peoples’ common stock trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol PEBO. The company’s inclusion in the Russell 3000 index of U.S. publicly traded companies is noted in several news releases. Peoples’ Board of Directors has declared recurring quarterly cash dividends on common shares, and the company issues news releases and Form 8-K filings to communicate dividend declarations and related information.

Investor communications and transparency

Peoples regularly communicates with investors, analysts and other stakeholders through earnings releases, conference calls, investor presentations and Form 8-K filings. The company announces the timing of its quarterly earnings releases and conference calls, and provides access to live audio and archived replays through its investor relations channels. Earnings calls typically feature commentary from the President and Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, followed by a question-and-answer period. Form 8-K filings include transcripts of earnings calls, non-GAAP reconciliations and investor presentation materials to support understanding of Peoples’ business and financial performance.