Five Below, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVE) Short Interest Down 25.2% in March

Five Below, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVE) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,608,101 shares, a decline of 25.2% from the February 26th total of 2,148,879 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 911,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. Approximately 3.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Five Below News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Five Below this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum: Zacks added FIVE to its top growth/momentum list (Rank #1 / Strong Buy), which can attract growth?oriented buyers. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for March 27th
• Positive Sentiment: Media/celebrity endorsement: Jim Cramer publicly called out FIVE as having “more room to run,” a bullish retail endorsement that tends to drive retail flows and momentum trading. Cramer: Five Below has ‘more room to run’ despite tripling in 12 months
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street lift: several firms raised targets and reiterated positive views after Five Below’s March earnings beat, supporting medium?term upside references for buyers. Five Below’s Earnings Blowout Has Wall Street Scrambling to Raise Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Store expansion: new store openings reported in markets like North Augusta (and North Providence) reinforce the comp store growth/expansion story that supports revenue trajectory. Five Below opens in North Augusta; Marshalls and Ulta now expected to open in fall
• Neutral Sentiment: Viral product/lifestyle coverage is increasing brand awareness (examples: trending $5 product stories), but these have limited direct, immediate impact on financials. Five Below has a $5 sardines-themed beach towel
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: a Five Below board member recently sold $4.63M of stock, which can signal profit?taking or reduce investor conviction for some market participants. Board Member Of Five Below Sold $4.63M In Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider selling: director Ronald Sargent and COO Kenneth Bull disclosed multi?million dollar sales this week — these filings often trigger short?term selling or cautious positioning by institutional traders. Insider Selling: Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) Director Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Kenneth R. Bull sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was 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 directly owned 92,531 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,665,208.34. This represents a 9.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Eric M. Specter sold 8,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.15, for a total value of $1,709,775.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 45,724 shares in the company, valued at $9,197,382.60. This trade represents a 15.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 35,525 shares of company stock valued at $7,789,754 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Five Below

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Eastern Bank raised its stake in shares of Five Below by 705.0% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 161 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Five Below in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in Five Below during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Bayban purchased a new position in Five Below during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Five Below during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000.

Five Below Trading Down 2.2%

FIVE stock traded down $5.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $221.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,040,190 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,286,487. Five Below has a 52 week low of $52.38 and a 52 week high of $237.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $210.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.33. The stock has a market cap of $12.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.32, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.10.

Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $4.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business earned $3.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Five Below will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Five Below from $247.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Five Below from $259.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on shares of Five Below from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. William Blair raised shares of Five Below from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Five Below from $193.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.86.

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.