Nuveen Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 339,872 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,318 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Signet Jewelers were worth $27,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SIG. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 100.1% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 5,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 2,867 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Signet Jewelers by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $675,000 after buying an additional 1,720 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Signet Jewelers by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its position in Signet Jewelers by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 447 shares during the period. Finally, Meritage Portfolio Management acquired a new position in Signet Jewelers during the fourth quarter worth about $648,000.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Helen Mccluskey bought 1,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $58.86 per share, for a total transaction of $100,062.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 31,916 shares in the company, valued at $1,878,575.76. The trade was a 5.63% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO James Kevin Symancyk bought 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 50,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,913,289.50. The trade was a 42.01% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 3.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Signet Jewelers to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. 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. CL King assumed coverage on shares of Signet Jewelers in a research report on Monday, May 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Signet Jewelers from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Signet Jewelers from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $79.67.

Signet Jewelers Stock Up 2.0%

SIG stock opened at $64.29 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a PE ratio of 7.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.34. Signet Jewelers Limited has a 12 month low of $45.55 and a 12 month high of $112.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

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

Signet Jewelers Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This is a positive change from Signet Jewelers’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. Signet Jewelers’s dividend payout ratio is currently -168.42%.

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.