Bank of New York Mellon Corp Buys 69,511 Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Free Report) by 186.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 106,856 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 69,511 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.70% of J.Jill worth $2,951,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in J.Jill by 196.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 1,887 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in J.Jill by 58.4% during the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 6,272 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $155,000 after acquiring an additional 2,312 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in J.Jill by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,079 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $196,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in J.Jill in the 3rd quarter worth $256,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in J.Jill in the 3rd quarter worth $288,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company's stock.

J.Jill Price Performance

J.Jill stock traded up $1.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $19.05. 129,476 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 135,501. J.Jill, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.31 and a 12-month high of $40.61. The company has a market cap of $292.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $24.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

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J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $94.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $142.33 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 71.30%. Equities analysts forecast that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. This is a positive change from J.Jill's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, J.Jill has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $38.20.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.57, for a total transaction of $132,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 132,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,512,686.85. The trade was a 3.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company's stock.

J.Jill Company Profile

J.Jill, Inc operates as an omnichannel retailer for women's apparel under the J.Jill brand in the United States. It offers apparel, footwear, and accessories, including scarves and jewelry. The company markets its products through retail stores, website, and catalogs. J.Jill, Inc was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts.