Peoples Financal Stock Price, News & Analysis

Peoples Financial Corporation (PFBX) is a Mississippi-based financial holding company whose primary asset is The Peoples Bank. According to company disclosures, The Peoples Bank was founded in 1896 and operates along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, focusing on commercial banking within the finance and insurance sector. Peoples Financial Corporation’s common stock trades on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol PFBX.

The Peoples Bank operates multiple banking facilities and branches in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Stone counties along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Across the news releases provided, the bank is described as operating 17 or 18 locations in this region, reflecting a community-focused footprint. The bank’s operations are described as offering a range of retail and commercial banking services, positioning the company within the commercial banking industry.

A notable element of the organization is its trust and investment services department, which the company states has provided financial, estate and retirement planning services since 1936. This trust and investment function complements the bank’s core deposit and lending activities by adding long-standing fiduciary and planning capabilities. In a separate corporate transaction, The Peoples Bank also reported the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Trustmark National Bank’s Corporate Trust business, including approximately 200 bond issues, further expanding its corporate trust activities.

Business focus and operations

Based on company descriptions in multiple press releases, The Peoples Bank provides retail banking and commercial banking services in its local markets. The bank also highlights a trust and investment services department that supports customers with financial, estate and retirement planning. These activities place Peoples Financial Corporation firmly within the commercial banking industry, with an added emphasis on trust and fiduciary services.

The company’s news releases repeatedly note total assets at various points in time, indicating a balance sheet measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars. For example, The Peoples Bank reported total assets of $985 million as of March 31, 2023, $896 million as of June 30, 2023, $810 million as of September 30, 2023, and $933 million and $814 million as of specific dates in 2024. While these figures change over time, they illustrate that Peoples Financial Corporation operates as a regional community banking organization with a significant but localized asset base.

Dividends, capital management and shareholder returns

The company’s public communications place strong emphasis on dividends and shareholder returns. Peoples Financial Corporation has repeatedly announced semi-annual cash dividends on its common stock and, in certain periods, has also declared special dividends. Examples in the record include:

• A semi-annual dividend of $0.06 per share announced in November 2021.
• A semi-annual dividend of $0.09 per share announced in March 2022.
• A cash dividend of $0.12 per share announced in April 2023, described as a 20% increase over the prior dividend.
• A regular semi-annual dividend of $0.18 per share and a special dividend of $0.23 per share announced in October 2023.
• A regular semi-annual dividend of $0.18 per share announced in May 2024.
• A regular semi-annual dividend of $0.18 per share and a special dividend of $0.08 per share announced in November 2024.

In its commentary, management repeatedly links these dividends to continuing financial improvement and a stated dedication to returning earnings to shareholders. The company also reports using stock repurchase programs as an additional capital management tool. For example, in 2021 it completed the repurchase of 200,000 shares of its common stock under a previously announced program, and in July 2023 the board approved a new repurchase program authorizing up to $1,000,000 in additional share repurchases.

Financial performance and asset quality

Peoples Financial Corporation periodically reports detailed financial results through press releases and SEC filings. In its report for the third quarter of 2023, the company highlighted:

• Net income of $1,910,000 for the quarter and $7,443,000 for the first nine months of 2023, compared with lower figures in the prior-year periods.
• An increase in net interest income driven largely by higher interest income on securities, overnight federal funds and loans, associated with higher interest rates.
• Improved return on average assets and return on average equity compared to the prior year, along with a lower efficiency ratio.
• Asset quality metrics, including a reduction in nonaccrual loans and details on the allowance for credit losses, recoveries and charge-offs.

The company also discusses the impact of unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities caused by higher interest rates, noting that these losses reduced accumulated other comprehensive income and shareholders’ equity but were not attributed to credit deterioration. The available-for-sale portfolio is described as consisting primarily of U.S. Treasury securities, and the bank notes that its regulatory capital ratios remained strong due to an opt-out election related to these unrealized losses.

Management commentary in these releases emphasizes attention to asset quality, liquidity and capital. The company notes that the majority of the bank’s deposits are fully FDIC insured and that it evaluates its financial health under various economic scenarios. It also describes strategies to address changes in deposit balances, including replacing lost public fund deposits with other deposit types, proceeds from maturing securities, loan repayments and potential borrowings.

Corporate governance and shareholder engagement

Peoples Financial Corporation’s SEC filings and news releases provide insight into its corporate governance and shareholder relations. An 8-K/A filing dated September 2, 2025, summarizes voting results from the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, including the election of directors, ratification of the independent auditor, advisory votes on executive compensation and the frequency of such votes, and a shareholder proposal recommending a sale of the company. The filing notes that shareholders voted against the sale proposal and that the board decided to hold annual advisory votes on named executive officer compensation.

Earlier, a 2021 press release described a proxy contest involving the Stilwell Group and referenced an ISS Proxy Advisory Services report recommending a vote for the company’s nominees and proposals. That release also mentioned a strategic plan and succession planning efforts, and cited performance relative to a community bank index as part of the context for ISS’s recommendation.

Trust and corporate trust services

The Peoples Bank’s trust and investment services department has been highlighted repeatedly in company communications. Since 1936, this department has provided financial, estate and retirement planning services to customers. In addition, a joint announcement with Trustmark National Bank in 2022 reported that The Peoples Bank acquired substantially all the assets of Trustmark’s Corporate Trust business. Through this transaction, approximately 200 bond issues were transitioned to The Peoples Bank, and the company described this as adding an additional book of corporate trust business to its existing portfolio.

In that announcement, The Peoples Bank’s leadership expressed the view that the expanded corporate trust portfolio would build on the bank’s existing corporate trust footprint. This underscores the bank’s role not only in traditional retail and commercial banking, but also in corporate trust and agency services connected with debt securities issued by public corporations and government entities.

Recognition and market listing

Peoples Financial Corporation notes that it was recognized as part of the 2024 OTCQX Best 50, a ranking of top-performing OTCQX companies in the prior calendar year. This recognition is cited in multiple dividend-related press releases. The company’s common stock is consistently described as being listed on the OTCQX Best Market under the ticker PFBX, and investors are directed in those releases to the SEC’s website for access to its regulatory filings.

Regulatory filings and reporting

The company files periodic and current reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Form 8-K filings that announce dividends, financial results and shareholder meeting outcomes. For example, 8-K filings in 2025 reference press releases announcing a dividend and third quarter results, and the 8-K/A filed in September 2025 details the results of shareholder votes and the board’s decision on the frequency of advisory votes on executive compensation.

These filings, together with the company’s news releases, provide a record of earnings trends, capital actions such as dividends and share repurchases, and key governance decisions. Investors researching PFBX can use these documents to understand the company’s financial condition, capital management approach and governance practices over time.

Geographic focus and market role

Across all provided sources, Peoples Financial Corporation and The Peoples Bank consistently describe their market as the Mississippi Gulf Coast, with operations in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Stone counties. The bank characterizes itself as providing a full range of banking, financial and trust services in its local markets, and notes that it maintains a well-capitalized balance sheet with strong capital and liquidity. This localized footprint and emphasis on community markets place PFBX within the category of a regional community bank holding company focused on serving individuals, businesses and institutional clients in its defined geographic area.