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

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG - Free Report) by 30.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,655 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,574 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 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 have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of 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 valued at about $77,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 177.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $118,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,293 shares of the company's stock valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 263 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Signet Jewelers in the 3rd quarter valued at about $207,000.

Signet Jewelers Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SIG traded down $1.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $52.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,173,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,745,269. Signet Jewelers Limited has a 12-month low of $52.09 and a 12-month high of $112.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $66.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.05, a PEG ratio of 3.53 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 - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.05). Signet Jewelers had a return on equity of 28.69% and a net margin of 8.57%. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.24 EPS. Signet Jewelers's quarterly revenue was down 3.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Signet Jewelers Limited will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Signet Jewelers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Signet Jewelers's payout ratio is presently 13.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Signet Jewelers from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com downgraded Signet Jewelers from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Signet Jewelers from $95.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.20.

Insider Transactions at Signet Jewelers

In related news, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of Signet Jewelers 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 sale, the director now owns 22,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,231,565.76. The trade was a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.26% of the company's stock.

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.