Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the five analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $79.60.

SIG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Signet Jewelers from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Signet Jewelers from $95.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $70.00 price target (down from $80.00) on shares of Signet Jewelers in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Signet Jewelers in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded Signet Jewelers to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th.

Signet Jewelers Price Performance

SIG stock traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $59.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 150,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,150,226. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.63. 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 has a 12 month low of $45.55 and a 12 month high of $112.06. The company has a 50 day moving average of $54.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.41.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The company reported $6.62 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $2.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.73 EPS. Signet Jewelers's revenue for the quarter was down 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Signet Jewelers will post 8.73 EPS for the current year.

Signet Jewelers Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This is an increase from Signet Jewelers's previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. Signet Jewelers's payout ratio is presently -168.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James Kevin Symancyk purchased 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $57.45 per share, with a total value of $861,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 50,710 shares in the company, valued at $2,913,289.50. This represents a 42.01 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of Signet Jewelers stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.13, for a total transaction of $180,415.29. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Signet Jewelers

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Signet Jewelers by 40.5% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 773 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Signet Jewelers in the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Signet Jewelers by 149.3% during 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. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in Signet Jewelers by 832.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the company's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 1,216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Signet Jewelers by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,656 shares of the company's stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the period.

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.