Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $109.60.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Signet Jewelers from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on Signet Jewelers from $145.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $87.00 price objective on shares of Signet Jewelers in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Signet Jewelers from $108.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Signet Jewelers from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Signet Jewelers

In related news, insider Joan M. Hilson sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.57, for a total value of $756,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 200,844 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,993,817.08. This trade represents a 3.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.63, for a total transaction of $332,066.79. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 26,085 shares in the company, valued at $2,598,848.55. This represents a 11.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,957 shares of company stock worth $4,599,306. Insiders own 3.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Signet Jewelers

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Signet Jewelers by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,330,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 10.7% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 34,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,515,000 after acquiring an additional 3,312 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Signet Jewelers in the 3rd quarter worth about $210,000. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 17.5% during the 3rd quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 19,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,056,000 after purchasing an additional 2,962 shares during the period. Finally, Vestcor Inc grew its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 133.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 11,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 6,700 shares during the last quarter.

Signet Jewelers Stock Performance

Shares of SIG stock opened at $100.20 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 2.12. Signet Jewelers has a one year low of $72.26 and a one year high of $112.06. The company’s 50-day moving average is $97.33 and its 200 day moving average is $91.67.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.11. Signet Jewelers had a return on equity of 29.90% and a net margin of 8.58%. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.55 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Signet Jewelers will post 10.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Signet Jewelers Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 25th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 25th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. Signet Jewelers’s payout ratio is 13.43%.

Signet Jewelers Company Profile

Signet Jewelers Limited operates as a diamond jewelry retailer. It operates through three segments: North America, International, and Other. The North America segment operates jewelry stores in jewelry stores in malls, mall-based kiosks, and off-mall locations in the United States and Canada primarily under the Kay Jewelers, Kay Jewelers Outlet, Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry, Jared Vault, Zales Outlet, Zales Jewelers, Diamonds Direct, James Allen, Banter by Piercing Pagoda, and Peoples Jewellers names, as well as operates online through its digital banners, James Allen and Blue Nile.