Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (PEBK) and Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. (BOTJ) are navigating a competitive banking landscape, characterized by heightened deposit pricing and operating costs. Over the last year, PEBK’s stock increased by 18.8%, while BOTJ’s rose by 23.5%. In the past three months, PEBK is up 19.6%, outperforming BOTJ’s 18.7% increase.
PEBK trades at a trailing 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 1.8X, slightly above its five-year median of 1.7X, while BOTJ’s P/S ratio sits at 1.4X against a median of 1.2X. Both banks are under market valuations compared to the Zacks Finance sector average of 7.1X, offering potential upside as market conditions evolve.
