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James C. Leonard, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB), a $28.7 billion regional bank currently trading below its InvestingPro Fair Value, reported a significant stock sale according to a recent SEC filing. On February 19, Leonard sold 17,200 shares of common stock at a weighted average price of $44.2604, amounting to a total transaction value of $761,278. The bank maintains strong fundamentals with a P/E ratio of 13.6x and has demonstrated consistent shareholder returns through 50 consecutive years of dividend payments.
In addition to the sale, Leonard acquired 22,999 restricted stock units and 26,940 performance shares at no cost, as part of the Fifth Third Bancorp Incentive Compensation Plan. These transactions increased his ownership to 244,487 shares following the sale. According to InvestingPro, Fifth Third Bancorp maintains a "Fair" overall financial health score, with particularly strong marks in profitability metrics. For deeper insights into FITB’s valuation and 12+ additional ProTips, investors can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report available on InvestingPro.
In other recent news, Fifth Third Bancorp reported fourth-quarter earnings that surpassed analyst expectations, with adjusted earnings per share at $0.90, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.88. The bank’s revenue was slightly below forecasts, coming in at $2.18 billion against the expected $2.21 billion. The company’s net interest income rose by 1% sequentially, reaching $1.44 billion, supported by loan growth and an improved net interest margin of 2.97%. Piper Sandler, in response to these results, adjusted its price target for Fifth Third Bancorp to $53 while maintaining an Overweight rating. The firm revised its 2025 and 2026 earnings per share estimates upwards, despite a lower price target due to shifts in banking valuations.
Truist Securities also adjusted its outlook, raising the price target for Fifth Third Bancorp to $52 and maintaining a Buy rating. Analyst Brian Foran pointed to strong performance in loans, deposits, and fees as key factors for the positive outlook, with expectations for a net interest margin increase to 3.20% by the end of 2026. Additionally, Foran noted the potential for increased share repurchases, estimating $1 billion for 2025 and $1.3 billion for 2026. Fifth Third Bancorp’s strategic investments and strong balance sheet, highlighted by a loan-to-deposit ratio of 73%, have been acknowledged by analysts as supporting the bank’s growth prospects.
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