B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Invests $5.26 Million in Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 122,772 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,260,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of FITB. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Fifth Third Bancorp in the 1st quarter worth about $508,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp by 35.6% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 60,382 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,247,000 after buying an additional 15,838 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in Fifth Third Bancorp by 1,040.4% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 24,244 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $902,000 after buying an additional 22,118 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Fifth Third Bancorp by 237.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 54,093 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,013,000 after acquiring an additional 38,061 shares during the period. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Fifth Third Bancorp during the 1st quarter valued at $249,000. 83.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Fifth Third Bancorp Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ FITB traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $46.31. 3,334,442 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,587,273. The company has a market cap of $31.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.21. Fifth Third Bancorp has a 12 month low of $26.89 and a 12 month high of $48.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $43.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.58.

Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.83 by ($0.05). Fifth Third Bancorp had a return on equity of 14.58% and a net margin of 16.58%. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Fifth Third Bancorp will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

Fifth Third Bancorp Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th were issued a $0.37 dividend. This is a boost from Fifth Third Bancorp's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. Fifth Third Bancorp's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on FITB. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Fifth Third Bancorp from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Fifth Third Bancorp from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Baird R W cut Fifth Third Bancorp from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Fifth Third Bancorp from $43.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Fifth Third Bancorp from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $43.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jude Schramm sold 20,000 shares of Fifth Third Bancorp stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.00, for a total value of $840,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 114,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,805,724. The trade was a 14.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kristine R. Garrett sold 7,500 shares of Fifth Third Bancorp stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.67, for a total transaction of $327,525.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,441,720.71. This trade represents a 11.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Fifth Third Bancorp 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.