Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Boosts Stake in Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG - Free Report) by 42.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 394,365 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 118,275 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.89% of Signet Jewelers worth $42,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SIG. Belpointe Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Signet Jewelers by 67.9% during the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 403 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 274.1% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 404 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 187.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 494 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Signet Jewelers during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,374 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter.

Signet Jewelers Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SIG traded down $4.31 during trading on Friday, hitting $101.73. The company had a trading volume of 1,013,282 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,026,726. The stock has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 2.13. Signet Jewelers Limited has a one year low of $57.10 and a one year high of $109.17. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.50.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $6.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.33 by $0.40. Signet Jewelers had a return on equity of 32.26% and a net margin of 11.30%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.55 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.52 EPS. Signet Jewelers's quarterly revenue was down 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Signet Jewelers Limited will post 10.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Signet Jewelers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a positive change from Signet Jewelers's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Signet Jewelers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on SIG. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Signet Jewelers from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, December 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Signet Jewelers from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group raised their price objective on Signet Jewelers from $128.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Signet Jewelers from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Signet Jewelers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $120.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Howard A. Melnick sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.60, for a total transaction of $99,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 65,999 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,573,500.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Signet Jewelers news, insider William Brace sold 3,000 shares of Signet Jewelers stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total transaction of $297,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 75,664 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,490,736. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Howard A. Melnick sold 1,000 shares of Signet Jewelers stock in a transaction on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.60, for a total value of $99,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 65,999 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,573,500.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 92,435 shares of company stock valued at $8,987,931. Insiders own 4.54% 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.