Shares of Signet Jewelers Ltd. saw a surge in trading on Thursday as the jewelry retailer raised its full-year profit forecast. The company, known for its store brands such as Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared, and Blue Nile, anticipates an increase in the number of couples getting engaged in the coming months.
The stock (SIG) rose by 6.1% during afternoon trading, extending its winning streak to four days and resulting in an overall increase of 11.4%.
While Signet reported an 8.1% decline in sales for the quarter ending on July 29 compared to the previous year, the company remains optimistic about the future. Dating disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in significantly fewer engagements over the past three years. This decline has had a substantial impact on Signet, as bridal sales historically account for nearly half of the company’s overall merchandise sales.
In a post-earnings conference call with analysts, Chief Executive Gina Drosos shared encouraging news. She expressed confidence in a multiyear recovery of engagements starting later this year. Drosos based her optimism on the company’s tracking of 45 proprietary milestones that trace a couple’s journey through four major relationship stages: meeting, exclusivity, commitment, and engagement.
“While every couple is unique, dating and relationships tend to follow patterns,” explained Drosos, according to an AlphaSense transcript. “Not every couple experiences all 45 milestones we track, but we know that once they reach 25 to 30 of these milestones, they become statistically significantly more likely to move on to engagement.”
Although Signet has not disclosed details about the specific milestones tracked or their tracking methods, the company did provide some examples. Attending a sporting event or concert together serves as an “early relationship” trigger, while traveling together ranks among the top milestones in a couple’s journey toward engagement. Moving in together also proves to be a strong predictor of future engagements, according to Signet.
This positive outlook from Signet Jewelers Ltd. comes at a time when the company faces challenging market conditions. Despite recent sales declines, the anticipation of increased engagements offers a glimmer of hope for the jewelry retailer.
The Power of Triggers in Strengthening Relationships
Introduction
At Signet’s investor day in April, Chief Consumer Officer Jamie Singleton emphasized the importance of triggers in predicting the strength of a relationship. Singleton stated that it’s not just one trigger, but a combination of triggers that indicates a significant boost in engagement and commitment.
Multiple Triggers as Relationship Predictors
According to Singleton, when a couple meets each other’s parents, merges their finances, and openly professes their love on social media, these multiple triggers combined act as a strong predictor of future engagement. Recognizing the significance of these triggers, Signet’s executive team has closely monitored their impact on customer behavior and overall sales performance.
Promising Trends in Engagements
During the fiscal second quarter, CEO Gina Drosos noted a positive shift in couples approaching the milestones associated with a higher likelihood of engagement. In comparison to the previous year, there has been a notable 7 percentage point increase. Drosos expressed an optimistic outlook for future engagements, expecting an improvement starting from the fourth quarter. However, she emphasized that this recovery process will extend over multiple years.
Upgraded Guidance for Fiscal 2024
Considering the positive projections for future engagements, Signet has revised its earnings per share guidance range for fiscal 2024. The new range stands at $9.55-$10.14, up from the previous range of $9.49-$10.09. Analysts’ consensus estimate, according to FactSet, is $9.42. The company maintained its full-year total sales outlook within the range of $7.10 billion to $7.30 billion.
Financial Performance
Signet reported a decline in net income for the quarter ending on July 29. Net income dropped to $66.5 million, or $1.38 per share, compared to $136.8 million, or $2.58 per share, during the same period last year. However, after accounting for nonrecurring items and charges related to the integration of Blue Nile, adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.55. This exceeded the FactSet consensus estimate of $1.45.
In terms of sales, Signet experienced an 8.1% decline, amounting to $1.62 billion. Despite the decrease, the result surpassed the FactSet consensus of $1.58 billion. Same-store sales also performed better than expected, with a 12% drop as opposed to the anticipated 12.3% decline.
Stock Performance
Signet’s stock has been performing impressively in recent months, demonstrating a 19.4% increase over the past three months. This substantial growth outpaced the SPDR S&P Retail exchange-traded fund XRT, which had a 13.5% climb, and the S&P 500 index SPX, which saw an 8.2% gain.
In conclusion, Signet remains committed to understanding relationship triggers and leveraging them to drive customer engagement and sales growth. With a positive outlook for future engagements and an upgraded earnings per share guidance, the company is poised for continued success in the retail industry.