Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) Shares Acquired by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) by 57.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 63,835 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,174 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Signet Jewelers were worth $5,152,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SIG. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in Signet Jewelers by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Signet Jewelers by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,330,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. lifted its position in Signet Jewelers by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in Signet Jewelers by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 2,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the period. Finally, Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC grew its position in Signet Jewelers by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 2,788 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the last quarter.

Signet Jewelers Stock Down 3.0%

SIG opened at $67.71 on Wednesday. Signet Jewelers Limited has a twelve month low of $45.55 and a twelve month high of $112.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $56.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.34.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The company reported $6.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.39 by $0.23. Signet Jewelers had a net margin of 8.57% and a return on equity of 28.69%. The firm had revenue of $2.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.73 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Signet Jewelers Limited will post 8.73 EPS for the current year.

Signet Jewelers Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Signet Jewelers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Signet Jewelers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -168.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SIG has been the subject of several analyst reports. CL King assumed coverage on Signet Jewelers in a research report on Monday, May 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Signet Jewelers in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Signet Jewelers from $95.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on Signet Jewelers from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Signet Jewelers from $70.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James Kevin Symancyk bought 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $57.45 per share, for a total transaction of $861,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 50,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,913,289.50. This represents a 42.01% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Helen Mccluskey purchased 1,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $58.86 per share, for a total transaction of $100,062.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 31,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,878,575.76. This trade represents a 5.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.26% of the company’s stock.

Signet Jewelers 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.