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

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) by 15.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 210,158 shares of the company’s stock after selling 38,316 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.48% of Signet Jewelers worth $21,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 63.3% in the 2nd quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,974 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,521,000 after acquiring an additional 6,579 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Signet Jewelers in the first quarter worth $1,093,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of Signet Jewelers during the 1st quarter valued at $1,088,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 209.7% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 25,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,511,000 after buying an additional 16,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 527,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,221,000 after buying an additional 74,380 shares during the period.

Signet Jewelers Price Performance

NYSE SIG opened at $97.92 on Thursday. Signet Jewelers Limited has a 1-year low of $72.26 and a 1-year high of $112.06. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.31 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 2.12.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Signet Jewelers had a net margin of 8.58% and a return on equity of 29.90%. Signet Jewelers’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.55 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Signet Jewelers Limited will post 10.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Signet Jewelers Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 25th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 25th. Signet Jewelers’s dividend payout ratio is 13.43%.

Insider Activity at Signet Jewelers

In other Signet Jewelers news, insider Mary Elizabeth Finn sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.63, for a total value of $332,066.79. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,085 shares in the company, valued at $2,598,848.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mary Elizabeth Finn sold 8,000 shares of Signet Jewelers stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $640,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 54,957 shares of company stock valued at $5,239,306. Insiders own 3.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on SIG. StockNews.com cut Signet Jewelers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group decreased their target price on Signet Jewelers from $145.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of Signet Jewelers in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Signet Jewelers from $108.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Signet Jewelers from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. 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.com, Signet Jewelers has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.60.

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.