Zacks Investment Research has recently initiated coverage of Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (PEBK) , assigning a "Neutral" recommendation to the company's shares. This assessment comes amid a mixed outlook for the company, which has been making notable strides in the community banking services space despite industry challenges.Peoples Bancorp functions as a bank holding company for Peoples Bank, a state-chartered commercial bank originally founded in 1912. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, PEB ...