Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 41,390 Shares of Five Below, Inc. $FIVE

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in Five Below, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVE) by 19.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 171,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 41,390 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Five Below were worth $26,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eastern Bank grew its position in Five Below by 705.0% during the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 161 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Five Below in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Five Below by 653.8% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 196 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Five Below during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in Five Below by 15,500.0% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 312 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the last quarter.

Five Below Stock Up 4.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:FIVE opened at $202.61 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.18 billion, a PE ratio of 36.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $187.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $162.20. Five Below, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.38 and a twelve month high of $207.11.

Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.46. Five Below had a net margin of 6.96% and a return on equity of 17.15%. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $971.96 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. Five Below has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.710-5.890 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 3.360-3.540 EPS. Analysts expect that Five Below, Inc. will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Kenneth R. Bull sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.75, for a total value of $4,368,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 106,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,547,965. This trade represents a 19.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kathleen S. Barclay sold 2,200 shares of Five Below stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.03, for a total value of $400,466.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 9,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,677,224.42. The trade was a 19.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 50,769 shares of company stock worth $9,365,308 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FIVE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Craig Hallum reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Five Below in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Five Below from $179.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group set a $255.00 price objective on Five Below in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Five Below from $188.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Five Below from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $233.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Five Below has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $203.65.

Five Below Company Profile

Five Below, Inc (NASDAQ:FIVE) is an American specialty discount retailer offering a broad assortment of merchandise priced primarily at $5 or below. Since its founding in 2002 by David Schlessinger and Tom Vellios, the company has pursued a value-focused retail model targeting tweens, teens and beyond, with stores designed to deliver trend-driven products at an accessible price point. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Five Below has grown into a national chain operating in dozens of U.S.