Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Stake in Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG - Free Report) by 15.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 210,158 shares of the company's stock after selling 38,316 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.48% of Signet Jewelers worth $21,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Signet Jewelers in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in shares of Signet Jewelers in the 2nd quarter worth $51,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Signet Jewelers by 33.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 699 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 15.3% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 917 shares of the company's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 734 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SIG shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Signet Jewelers from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America lowered their price target on Signet Jewelers from $108.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Signet Jewelers in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Signet Jewelers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Signet Jewelers from $145.00 to $132.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. 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 stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Mary Elizabeth Finn sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $640,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 46,821 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,745,680. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Mary Elizabeth Finn sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $640,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 46,821 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,745,680. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rebecca Wooters sold 22,151 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.00, for a total value of $2,192,949.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 68,343 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,765,957. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 54,957 shares of company stock worth $5,239,306 over the last quarter. 3.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Signet Jewelers Stock Performance

SIG stock traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $97.59. The company had a trading volume of 281,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 809,512. The firm has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 2.12. Signet Jewelers Limited has a 12 month low of $72.26 and a 12 month high of $112.06. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $94.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.52.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.11. Signet Jewelers had a net margin of 8.58% and a return on equity of 29.90%. The company had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.55 EPS. Signet Jewelers's revenue was down 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Signet Jewelers Limited will post 10.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Signet Jewelers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 25th. Signet Jewelers's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.43%.

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.