Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) Stock Position Lifted by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 61,568 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,218 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Signet Jewelers were worth $4,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Signet Jewelers in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Signet Jewelers in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $77,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Signet Jewelers by 25.5% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Signet Jewelers during the third quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Signet Jewelers during the third quarter worth approximately $210,000.

Signet Jewelers Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SIG opened at $52.74 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 6.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 2.11. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $64.34 and a 200-day moving average of $81.78. Signet Jewelers Limited has a one year low of $50.38 and a one year high of $112.06.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. Signet Jewelers had a net margin of 8.57% and a return on equity of 28.69%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.24 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Signet Jewelers Limited will post 8.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Signet Jewelers Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. Signet Jewelers’s payout ratio is 13.35%.

Insider Transactions at Signet Jewelers

In related news, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.13, for a total value of $180,415.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 22,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,565.76. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SIG. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on Signet Jewelers from $87.00 to $65.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com lowered Signet Jewelers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Signet Jewelers from $95.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Signet Jewelers from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.20.

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.