Signet Jewelers Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:SIG)

Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 4,798 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 51% compared to the typical volume of 3,174 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.13, for a total value of $180,415.29. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 22,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,565.76. This represents a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Signet Jewelers

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 149.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 703 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in Signet Jewelers in the 3rd quarter worth $77,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 832.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 1,216 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised 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 purchasing an additional 263 shares in the last quarter.

Signet Jewelers Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:SIG traded up $0.90 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $57.55. 723,896 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,056,983. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.55. The company has a market cap of $2.50 billion, a PE ratio of 6.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 2.20. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $55.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.66. Signet Jewelers has a twelve month low of $45.55 and a twelve month high of $112.06.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The company reported $6.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.39 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.33 billion. Signet Jewelers had a net margin of 8.57% and a return on equity of 28.69%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.73 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Signet Jewelers will post 8.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on SIG. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Signet Jewelers in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Signet Jewelers from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Signet Jewelers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Signet Jewelers from $95.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $84.60.

About Signet Jewelers

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.