Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) Shares Gap Up After Strong Earnings

Shares of Five Below, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVE - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $121.24, but opened at $131.90. Five Below shares last traded at $130.14, with a volume of 2,108,240 shares trading hands.

The specialty retailer reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $970.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $966.29 million. Five Below had a net margin of 7.02% and a return on equity of 18.03%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.60 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FIVE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Five Below from $78.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Five Below from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Five Below from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Five Below from $90.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Five Below from $57.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Five Below presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Five Below news, EVP Ronald James Masciantonio sold 584 shares of Five Below stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.04, for a total transaction of $45,575.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at $987,830.32. The trade was a 4.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Five Below

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Byrne Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Five Below during the first quarter worth $29,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Five Below during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Five Below by 1,097.4% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 455 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Five Below by 246.9% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 496 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Five Below by 61.7% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 540 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period.

Five Below Price Performance

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $87.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.26, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.02.

Five Below Company Profile

Five Below, Inc operates as a specialty value retailer in the United States. The company offers range of accessories, which includes novelty socks, sunglasses, jewelry, scarves, gloves, hair accessories, athletic tops and bottoms, and t-shirts, as well as nail polish, lip gloss, fragrance, and branded cosmetics; and personalized living space products, such as lamps, posters, frames, fleece blankets, plush items, pillows, candles, incense, lighting, novelty décor, accent furniture, and related items, as well as provides storage options.