Country Trust Bank Decreases Holdings in Five Below, Inc. $FIVE

Key Points

• Country Trust Bank trimmed its position by 18.3%, selling 37,535 shares and leaving it with 167,225 shares of Five Below worth about $31.5 million (≈0.30% ownership) after the fourth-quarter filing.
• Five Below beat expectations with Q results of $4.31 EPS vs. $4.00 expected and $1.73B revenue (up 24.3% YoY), and several analysts raised price targets—MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $229.86.
• Insider selling has picked up: the COO and a director each sold 10,000 shares recently, insiders sold 35,525 shares in the last three months, and company insiders now own 1.90% of the stock.

Country Trust Bank trimmed its position in shares of Five Below, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVE - Free Report) by 18.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 167,225 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 37,535 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank owned about 0.30% of Five Below worth $31,499,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Eastern Bank raised its position in Five Below by 705.0% in the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 161 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Five Below in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. CI Investments Inc. raised its position in Five Below by 44.3% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 241 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in Five Below in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in Five Below in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000.

Five Below Trading Down 0.7%

FIVE stock opened at $233.72 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $215.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.11. Five Below, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.61 and a 12-month high of $238.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.18, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.07.

Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.00 by $0.31. Five Below had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 18.70%. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.48 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Five Below, Inc. will post 4.93 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Kenneth R. Bull sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.14, for a total transaction of $2,341,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 92,531 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,665,208.34. The trade was a 9.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ronald Sargent sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.28, for a total value of $2,312,800.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 83,674 shares in the company, valued at $19,352,122.72. This trade represents a 10.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,525 shares of company stock valued at $7,789,754. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FIVE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Five Below from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Five Below from $236.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Five Below from $255.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. William Blair raised Five Below from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Five Below from $260.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $229.86.

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.

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