Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 55,452,926 Shares of Five Below, Inc. $FIVE

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management massively increased its stake in Five Below during the fourth quarter, buying an additional 55.45 million shares and making FIVE its third-largest holding.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their positions, while analyst sentiment remained positive with multiple price-target increases and a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating.
• Five Below reported strong quarterly earnings, beating EPS and revenue estimates, though insiders recently sold shares and the stock was trading below its 52-week high.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Five Below, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVE - Free Report) by 40,774,210.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,453,062 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 55,452,926 shares during the period. Five Below comprises 5.1% of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 100.54% of Five Below worth $10,445,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Five Below by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,376,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $831,740,000 after buying an additional 69,101 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Five Below by 21.6% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,873,116 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $289,771,000 after acquiring an additional 332,615 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its position in Five Below by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,353,928 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $209,453,000 after purchasing an additional 12,583 shares during the period. Samlyn Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Five Below by 26.0% during the third quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 944,116 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $146,055,000 after acquiring an additional 194,795 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Five Below by 149.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 848,105 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $131,202,000 after purchasing an additional 507,487 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on FIVE. Craig Hallum reissued a "buy" rating and set a $246.00 price target on shares of Five Below in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Five Below from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Five Below from $259.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Five Below from $260.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Five Below from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $240.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Kenneth R. Bull sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.14, for a total value of $2,341,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 92,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,665,208.34. This represents a 9.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ronald Sargent sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.28, for a total transaction of $2,312,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 83,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,352,122.72. This represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.96% of the company's stock.

Five Below Price Performance

FIVE stock opened at $213.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $225.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $198.73. Five Below, Inc. has a 52-week low of $103.95 and a 52-week high of $251.63.

Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.00 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Five Below had a return on equity of 18.70% and a net margin of 7.53%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.48 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Five Below, Inc. will post 8.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Five Below

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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