With 4.8% one-year returns, institutional owners may ignore Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:PEBK) 11% stock price decline

Key Insights

• Institutions' substantial holdings in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price
• A total of 21 investors have a majority stake in the company with 50% ownership
• Insiders have been selling lately

If you want to know who really controls Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEBK), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. With 42% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

No shareholder likes losing money on their investments, especially institutional investors who saw their holdings drop 11% in value last week. However, the 4.8% one-year return to shareholders might have softened the blow. We would assume however, that they would be on the lookout for weakness in the future.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, beginning with the chart below.

View our latest analysis for Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

We can see that Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina. Our data shows that BlackRock, Inc. is the largest shareholder with 6.4% of shares outstanding. With 5.5% and 5.2% of the shares outstanding respectively, Wellington Management Group LLP and The Vanguard Group, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders.

After doing some more digging, we found that the top 21 have the combined ownership of 50% in the company, suggesting that no single shareholder has significant control over the company.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc.. Insiders have a US$22m stake in this US$145m business. We would say this shows alignment with shareholders, but it is worth noting that the company is still quite small; some insiders may have founded the business. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 38% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Private Company Ownership

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 4.5%, of the company's shares. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you would prefer check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, backed by strong financial data.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.