Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) Shares Purchased by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP grew its position in shares of Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) by 338.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 137,472 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 106,141 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Signet Jewelers were worth $11,095,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Signet Jewelers by 149.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 703 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Signet Jewelers by 832.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 1,216 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Signet Jewelers by 34.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Signet Jewelers during the 3rd quarter worth $210,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were 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 owns 22,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,565.76. This represents a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Kevin Symancyk acquired 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was 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 $2,913,289.50. The trade was a 42.01 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 3.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SIG has been the topic of several research reports. 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 research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Cfra Research upgraded Signet Jewelers to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Signet Jewelers from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. 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 report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Signet Jewelers in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $79.60.

Signet Jewelers Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:SIG opened at $55.05 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $53.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.55. Signet Jewelers Limited has a 1-year low of $45.55 and a 1-year high of $112.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.63.

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

Signet Jewelers Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is an increase from Signet Jewelers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 25th. Signet Jewelers’s dividend payout ratio is presently -168.42%.

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.