Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) Raised to Outperform at William Blair

Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) was upgraded by William Blair from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho boosted their price target on Five Below from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays increased their price objective on Five Below from $193.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Five Below from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $242.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $206.00 price target on shares of Five Below in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Five Below from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $229.86.

Five Below Stock Performance

Shares of Five Below stock opened at $227.42 on Thursday. Five Below has a 1 year low of $52.38 and a 1 year high of $237.50. The company has a market capitalization of $12.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.20, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.10. The company’s fifty day moving average is $207.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.39.

Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $4.31 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 business had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Five Below will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Five Below news, CAO Eric M. Specter sold 8,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.15, for a total value of $1,709,775.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 45,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,197,382.60. This represents a 15.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Kenneth R. Bull sold 1,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.29, for a total value of $389,408.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 99,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,049,973.35. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,525 shares of company stock worth $3,135,554. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Five Below

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Five Below by 40,774,210.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 55,453,062 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,445,139,000 after acquiring an additional 55,452,926 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Five Below by 1.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,376,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $831,740,000 after purchasing an additional 69,101 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Five Below by 21.6% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,873,116 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $289,771,000 after purchasing an additional 332,615 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Five Below by 54.6% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,785,169 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $336,254,000 after purchasing an additional 630,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of Five Below by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,508,393 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $284,121,000 after purchasing an additional 45,761 shares during the last quarter.

More Five Below News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Blowout Q4 results and raised guidance — Five Below reported stronger-than-expected Q4 sales, comps and EPS and issued upbeat FY26 guidance, which spurred a multi-day rally. The MarketBeat write-up highlights the earnings “blowout” that triggered institutional buying and a >10% pop in the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades & multiple price-target increases — Numerous firms (JPMorgan, BofA, UBS, Deutsche, Wells Fargo, Telsey, Truist, BNP Paribas Exane and others) raised price targets or upgraded FIVE after the report, signaling renewed Wall Street confidence and providing buy-side momentum. Example coverage of JPMorgan’s increase is here: Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying & analyst revisions — MarketBeat and other outlets note heavy institutional inflows and multiple analyst forecast upgrades, which supports further upside as funds reposition into the name. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Tariff risk less damaging than feared — Coverage (Benzinga and others) points out Five Below was expected to be hit by 2025 tariffs but the company says the impact is manageable in 2026, reducing an earlier tail risk. That’s supportive but still leaves exposure if tariffs change. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail momentum & viral product tailwinds — Media pieces (MarketWatch, MSN, etc.) highlight viral toys and broader appeal beyond teens (millennial moms, Gen Z/Alpha), which boost traffic and comps but are execution-dependent. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Odd/unclear short-interest data — a recent short-interest entry shows zero shares and a NaN change (likely a reporting/data error). No clear short-squeeze signal from this data point.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and technical pullback risk — Coverage (MarketBeat and others) warns FIVE trades at elevated multiples after the run; some analysts (e.g., Morgan Stanley) are more cautious, and commentators note parabolic moves can see profit-taking. Expect volatility and watch for consolidation levels cited around prior resistance (~$220–$225). Article Title

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.