USCB Financial (NASDAQ:USCB) vs. Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO) Head-To-Head Review

Peoples Bancorp (NASDAQ:PEBO – Get Free Report) and USCB Financial (NASDAQ:USCB – Get Free Report) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, earnings, risk, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Dividends

Peoples Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.6%. USCB Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.50 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Peoples Bancorp pays out 50.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. USCB Financial pays out 32.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Peoples Bancorp has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years and USCB Financial has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Peoples Bancorp is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Volatility & Risk

Peoples Bancorp has a beta of 0.62, meaning that its share price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, USCB Financial has a beta of 0.45, meaning that its share price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Peoples Bancorp and USCB Financial, as reported by MarketBeat.

Peoples Bancorp currently has a consensus price target of $41.50, suggesting a potential upside of 12.50%. USCB Financial has a consensus price target of $24.33, suggesting a potential upside of 10.26%. Given Peoples Bancorp’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Peoples Bancorp is more favorable than USCB Financial.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

60.7% of Peoples Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 61.3% of USCB Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.3% of Peoples Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 27.4% of USCB Financial shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Peoples Bancorp and USCB Financial”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Peoples Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than USCB Financial. Peoples Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than USCB Financial, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Peoples Bancorp and USCB Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Summary

Peoples Bancorp beats USCB Financial on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Peoples Bancorp

(Get Free Report)

Peoples Bancorp Inc. operates as the holding company for Peoples Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking products and services. The company accepts various deposit products, including demand deposit accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and governmental deposits; and provides commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, construction, finance, residential real estate, and consumer indirect and direct loans, as well as home equity lines of credit and overdrafts. It also offers debit and automated teller machine (ATM) cards; safe deposit rental facilities; money orders and cashier’s checks; and telephone, mobile, and online banking services. In addition, the company provides various life, health, and property and casualty insurance products; third-party insurance administration; interactive teller machines; insurance premium financing; check deposit and alert notification; commercial and technology equipment leasing; fiduciary and trust; underwriting, origination, and servicing of equipment leases, and equipment financing agreements; and asset management and administration services, as well as employee benefit, retirement, and health care plan administration services. Further, it offers brokerage services through an unaffiliated registered broker-dealers; insurance premium finance lending and leasing; and credit cards to individuals and businesses, as well as provides merchant credit card transaction processing, and person-to-person payment processing services. Peoples Bancorp Inc. was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Marietta, Ohio.

About USCB Financial

(Get Free Report)

USCB Financial Holdings, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for U.S. Century Bank that engages in the provision of various personal and business banking products and services in the United States. It accepts various deposit products, including commercial and consumer checking, money market deposit, savings, and time deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also offers loan products, such as small business administration loans, yacht financing, residential and commercial real estate loans; commercial and industrial loans; foreign bank loans; and secured and unsecured consumer loans comprising personal loans, overdrafts, and deposit account collateralized loans. The company also offers lockbox, treasury, commercial payments, cash management, and online banking services, as well as provides title insurance policies for real estate transactions. USCB Financial Holdings, Inc. was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.