Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) Shares Bought by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB - Free Report) by 53.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 525,054 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 182,552 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 0.08% of Fifth Third Bancorp worth $18,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. increased its position in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp by 1.4% during the first quarter. Fairfield Bush & CO. now owns 36,482 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,570,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the period. Aviva PLC increased its holdings in Fifth Third Bancorp by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 255,764 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,008,000 after purchasing an additional 46,064 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in Fifth Third Bancorp in the 1st quarter valued at about $754,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 54,958 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,365,000 after buying an additional 6,341 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its position in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp by 60.8% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 121,378 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,224,000 after buying an additional 45,910 shares in the last quarter. 83.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Fifth Third Bancorp

In other Fifth Third Bancorp news, EVP Jude Schramm sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.38, for a total transaction of $181,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 139,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,072,172.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Fifth Third Bancorp news, COO James C. Leonard sold 26,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.66, for a total transaction of $971,490.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 229,344 shares in the company, valued at $8,407,751.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jude Schramm sold 5,000 shares of Fifth Third Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.38, for a total transaction of $181,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 139,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,072,172.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FITB has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $32.00 price target on shares of Fifth Third Bancorp in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Barclays raised their price target on Fifth Third Bancorp from $34.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $41.00 price objective on shares of Fifth Third Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Fifth Third Bancorp from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Fifth Third Bancorp from $29.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fifth Third Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $35.63.

Fifth Third Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FITB traded down $0.33 on Friday, reaching $34.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,340,002 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,070,304. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Fifth Third Bancorp has a 52-week low of $22.46 and a 52-week high of $37.41. The stock's 50-day moving average is $35.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.69, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.27.

Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 19th. The financial services provider reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.22. Fifth Third Bancorp had a return on equity of 16.25% and a net margin of 18.58%. The company had revenue of $3.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.04 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Fifth Third Bancorp will post 3.19 EPS for the current year.

Fifth Third Bancorp Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.05%. Fifth Third Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.34%.

Fifth Third Bancorp Company Profile

Fifth Third Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for Fifth Third Bank, National Association that engages in the provision of a range of financial products and services in the United States. It operates through three segments: Commercial Banking, Consumer and Small Business Banking, and Wealth and Asset Management.