Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) Short Interest Update

Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,760,000 shares, a growth of 25.3% from the January 31st total of 3,800,000 shares. Approximately 11.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,510,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Signet Jewelers Stock Performance

SIG traded down $0.26 on Friday, reaching $49.75. 132,366 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,020,942. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $61.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a PE ratio of 5.73, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 2.11. Signet Jewelers has a fifty-two week low of $46.66 and a fifty-two week high of $112.06.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. Signet Jewelers had a return on equity of 28.69% and a net margin of 8.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.24 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Signet Jewelers will post 8.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Signet Jewelers

In other news, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.13, for a total transaction of $180,415.29. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Signet Jewelers

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SIG. Grace & White Inc. NY lifted its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Grace & White Inc. NY now owns 207,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,728,000 after purchasing an additional 11,900 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 61,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,969,000 after buying an additional 11,218 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Signet Jewelers by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 36,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,958,000 after acquiring an additional 8,574 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Signet Jewelers by 36.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 132,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,704,000 after purchasing an additional 35,174 shares during the period. Finally, Meritage Portfolio Management acquired a new position in Signet Jewelers in the 4th quarter valued at about $648,000.

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.