Principal Financial Group Inc. Acquires 338,929 Shares of Fifth Third Bancorp $FITB

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) by 46.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,074,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 338,929 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Fifth Third Bancorp worth $49,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FITB. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Fifth Third Bancorp by 501.9% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new position in Fifth Third Bancorp during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, EFG International AG bought a new stake in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 83.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Fifth Third Bancorp News

Here are the key news stories impacting Fifth Third Bancorp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fifth Third Bancorp posted Q2 2026 earnings of $1.02 per share, above consensus estimates, helped by stronger net interest income and fee income. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company said profit rose on higher net interest income and growth in capital markets and wealth management fees, suggesting core banking trends remain solid. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Fifth Third also highlighted strong credit quality and lower deposit costs, which support margins and profitability. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The bank was named the United States’ Best Bank by Euromoney, reinforcing confidence in its franchise and post-merger expansion story. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares also saw unusually heavy put-option activity, indicating traders are hedging or positioning for volatility after earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, the stock is under pressure because investors are reacting to higher integration-related costs and a reported miss on topline estimates. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted revenue came in below expectations, which may be outweighing the EPS beat in early trading. Article Title

Insider Transactions at Fifth Third Bancorp

In other Fifth Third Bancorp news, EVP Kevin J. Khanna sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.77, for a total value of $304,620.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 76,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,873,700.23. This represents a 7.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Peter L. Sefzik sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.46, for a total value of $1,009,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 189,382 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,556,215.72. This trade represents a 9.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Fifth Third Bancorp Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FITB opened at $57.92 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Fifth Third Bancorp has a twelve month low of $40.04 and a twelve month high of $59.50. The company has a fifty day moving average of $53.01 and a 200-day moving average of $50.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.90.

Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.01). Fifth Third Bancorp had a return on equity of 12.39% and a net margin of 15.89%.The company had revenue of $3.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fifth Third Bancorp will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

Fifth Third Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Fifth Third Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on FITB. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Fifth Third Bancorp in a research report on Monday, April 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Fifth Third Bancorp from $54.50 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Zacks Research downgraded Fifth Third Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Fifth Third Bancorp from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Fifth Third Bancorp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Fifth Third Bancorp has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.11.

Fifth Third Bancorp Company Profile

Fifth Third Bancorp is a Cincinnati, Ohio–based bank holding company whose primary banking subsidiary operates as Fifth Third Bank. The company provides a broad range of financial services to individual consumers, small businesses, middle-market companies and large corporations. Its business mix includes retail and commercial banking, lending, payment and card services, treasury and cash management, and wealth management and investment advisory services delivered through a combination of branch locations, commercial offices and digital platforms.

On the consumer side, Fifth Third offers deposit accounts, consumer loans, mortgages, auto financing and credit card products, along with digital banking and mobile services.