Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG)

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

Signet Jewelers Stock Up 20.7 %

Shares of SIG stock traded up $9.98 on Wednesday, reaching $58.28. 2,253,370 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,644,725. The company has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.72, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 2.20. The company has a 50-day moving average of $55.61 and a 200-day moving average of $78.81. 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 has a one year low of $45.55 and a one year high of $112.06.

Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The company reported $6.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.39 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $2.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.33 billion. Signet Jewelers had a net margin of 8.57% and a return on equity of 28.69%. The business’s revenue was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.73 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Signet Jewelers will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SIG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Signet Jewelers from $95.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Signet Jewelers in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Signet Jewelers from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Signet Jewelers from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $93.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Signet Jewelers news, Director Eugenia Ulasewicz sold 3,333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.13, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Signet Jewelers

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Signet Jewelers by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in 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 last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Signet Jewelers by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,330,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in Signet Jewelers by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 10,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. increased its stake in Signet Jewelers by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter.

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.