Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Acquires New Stake in Five Below, Inc. $FIVE

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Five Below, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIVE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,308 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $435,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank increased its stake in Five Below by 705.0% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 161 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Five Below during the third quarter worth about $32,000. CI Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Five Below by 44.3% in the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 241 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Five Below in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Five Below in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on FIVE. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Five Below from $188.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $206.00 price target on shares of Five Below in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Evercore upped their price objective on Five Below from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on Five Below from $189.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Five Below from $260.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $229.86.

Five Below Stock Performance

Five Below stock opened at $235.39 on Monday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $214.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.56. The stock has a market cap of $13.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.07. Five Below, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.38 and a 12-month high of $237.50.

Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $4.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.00 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. Five Below had a return on equity of 18.70% and a net margin of 7.53%.Five Below’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.48 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Five Below, Inc. will post 4.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ronald Sargent sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.28, for a total value of $2,312,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 83,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,352,122.72. This represents a 10.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Kenneth R. Bull sold 10,000 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 92,531 shares in the company, valued at $21,665,208.34. This trade represents a 9.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 35,525 shares of company stock worth $7,789,754. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Five Below News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research sharply raised earnings estimates across multiple quarters and fiscal years (examples: FY2027 raised to ~$8.04 from ~$6.87; FY2028 raised to ~$9.12 from ~$7.54; FY2029 now ~9.97). They also lifted several quarterly estimates (including Q1 2027/2028 and Q4 2027/2028), signaling materially higher profit expectations and stronger unit economics from current guidance. This set of upgrades is a direct positive catalyst for FIVE because it implies faster earnings growth and better returns on new stores and merchandising.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks singled out Five Below in positive coverage: it featured FIVE as a “Bull of the Day” (bullish analyst write-up highlighting the retailer getting strategy right). That kind of high-profile analyst endorsement can attract momentum flows and reaffirm buy-side conviction. Bull of the Day: Five Below (FIVE)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added FIVE to its Best Growth Stocks/Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list — another validation that could increase institutional interest and short‑term buying pressure from quant/score‑based funds. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for April 2nd
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer media coverage: a Yahoo Lifestyle piece highlighting “12 candies from Five Below everyone needs to try” boosts brand visibility and showcases the strength of Five Below’s merchandising and impulse assortment. Useful for consumer sentiment and store traffic, but it’s a softer, indirect catalyst compared with analyst upgrades. 12 Candies From Five Below Everyone Needs To Try Once

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.