Dividends
Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina pays $0.76 annually per share, yielding 3.0%, while South Plains Financial pays $0.56 with a yield of 1.6%. Peoples Bancorp has a 25.9% payout ratio and has increased its dividend for 11 years. It is generally a better choice for dividends due to its higher yield and growth history.
Profitability
Here’s a comparison of net margins, return on equity, and return on assets:
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Peoples Bancorp | 15.80% | 13.85% | 1.00% |
| South Plains Financial | 16.53% | 11.42% | 1.09% |
Analyst Ratings
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Peoples Bancorp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| South Plains Financial | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.00 |
South Plains Financial has a price target of $34.33, indicating a potential downside of 1.96%. Analysts favor South Plains over Peoples Bancorp.
Institutional & Insider Ownership
43.8% of Peoples Bancorp is held by institutions, while South Plains has 55.0%. Insider ownership is 16.9% for Peoples Bancorp and 25.4% for South Plains, showing stronger confidence in South Plains by major investors.
Earnings & Valuation
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Peoples Bancorp | $69.88 million | 1.94 | $15.55 million | $2.93 | 8.74 |
| South Plains Financial | $181.56 million | 3.17 | $62.74 million | $3.74 | 9.36 |
South Plains has higher revenue and profits, but Peoples Bancorp has a lower price-to-earnings ratio, making it more affordable.
Volatility and Risk
Peoples Bancorp has a beta of 0.57 (43% less volatile than the S&P 500), while South Plains has a beta of 0.58 (42% less volatile).
Summary
South Plains Financial outperforms Peoples Bancorp in 13 of 16 factors reviewed.
About Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina
Peoples Bancorp provides various banking products and services and was founded in 1912, based in Newton, North Carolina.
About South Plains Financial
South Plains Financial offers commercial and consumer financial services and was founded in 1941, headquartered in Lubbock, Texas.
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