Signet(US:SIG) Businesswire·2025-12-02 11:50Core Insights - Signet Jewelers reported a 3% increase in same-store sales for Q3 Fiscal 2026, driven by strong performance from its major brands Kay, Zales, and Jared [2][6][31] - The company has updated its Fiscal 2026 guidance to reflect better-than-expected performance in the third quarter and ongoing efforts to mitigate tariff impacts [2][17] Financial Performance - Total sales for Q3 Fiscal 2026 reached $1.3918 billion, an increase of $42.4 million or 3.1% compared to Q3 of FY25 [6][28] - Same-store sales (SSS) increased by 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year, reversing a decline of 0.7% in the previous year [6][31] - Operating income rose to $23.9 million, up from $9.2 million in Q3 of FY25, with an operating margin of 1.7% [6][8][28] - Diluted earnings per share (EPS) improved to $0.49 from $0.12 in Q3 of FY25, while adjusted diluted EPS was $0.63 compared to $0.24 in the prior year [6][10] Cost Management and Cash Flow - Merchandise average unit retail (AUR) increased by 7%, with Bridal up 6% and Fashion up 8% [6] - Free cash flow improved by over $100 million compared to the previous year, reflecting disciplined working capital management [2] - Selling, general, and administrative expenses (SG&A) were $485.3 million, representing 34.9% of sales, an increase from 34.8% in Q3 of FY25 [8][28] Shareholder Returns - The company repurchased approximately 301,000 common shares for about $28 million in Q3, with a total of 2.8 million shares repurchased year-to-date for approximately $178 million [12] - A quarterly cash dividend of $0.32 per share has been declared for the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2026 [13] Guidance and Outlook - For the fourth quarter, total sales are expected to be between $2.24 billion and $2.37 billion, with same-store sales projected to grow by up to 0.5% [14] - The updated Fiscal 2026 guidance anticipates total sales of $6.67 billion to $6.83 billion, with same-store sales ranging from a decline of 0.2% to an increase of 1.75% [17]