Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 8,574 Shares of Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) by 30.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,655 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,574 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.08% of Signet Jewelers worth $2,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SIG. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Signet Jewelers during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in shares of Signet Jewelers during the third quarter worth about $77,000. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Signet Jewelers by 177.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Signet Jewelers by 25.5% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. bought a new stake in shares of Signet Jewelers during the third quarter worth about $207,000.

Signet Jewelers Stock Performance

Shares of SIG stock opened at $54.03 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $82.37. Signet Jewelers Limited has a one year low of $52.09 and a one year high of $112.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 6.22, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 2.11. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.05). Signet Jewelers had a net margin of 8.57% and a return on equity of 28.69%. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.24 earnings per share. Signet Jewelers’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Signet Jewelers Limited will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Signet Jewelers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Signet Jewelers’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SIG shares. StockNews.com cut Signet Jewelers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on Signet Jewelers from $87.00 to $65.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Signet Jewelers from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Bank of America reduced 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Signet Jewelers currently has an average 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.