Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) Stake Lowered by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership cut its holdings in Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG - Free Report) by 86.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 130,226 shares of the company's stock after selling 855,816 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned about 0.30% of Signet Jewelers worth $10,511,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Signet Jewelers by 149.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 703 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in Signet Jewelers by 34.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,740 shares of the company's stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Signet Jewelers during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $210,000. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Signet Jewelers during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $225,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc increased its position in Signet Jewelers by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 2,815 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 356 shares in the last quarter.

Signet Jewelers Stock Down 3.9 %

Shares of Signet Jewelers stock traded down $2.31 on Thursday, hitting $56.75. 214,884 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,127,534. The stock has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.53, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.63. The firm's 50-day moving average is $53.87 and its 200 day moving average is $75.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. Signet Jewelers Limited has a 52-week low of $45.55 and a 52-week high of $112.06.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $2.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.73 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Signet Jewelers Limited will post 8.73 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a boost from Signet Jewelers's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. Signet Jewelers's payout ratio is presently -168.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Signet Jewelers news, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of Signet Jewelers stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.13, for a total transaction of $180,415.29. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,565.76. The trade was a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Kevin Symancyk acquired 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $57.45 per share, for a total transaction of $861,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 50,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,913,289.50. This represents a 42.01 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on SIG. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Signet Jewelers in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Cfra Research upgraded Signet Jewelers to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Signet Jewelers from $95.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group increased their target price on Signet Jewelers from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $70.00 target price (down from $80.00) on shares of Signet Jewelers in a research note on Tuesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $79.60.

About Signet Jewelers

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.