HighTower Advisors LLC Reduces Position in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Free Report) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 117,716 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 15,969 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.77% of J.Jill worth $3,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its stake in shares of J.Jill by 58.4% during the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 6,272 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $155,000 after acquiring an additional 2,312 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of J.Jill by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,079 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the third quarter valued at $256,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the third quarter valued at $288,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of J.Jill in the third quarter worth about $290,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $38.20.

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Insider Transactions at J.Jill

In other news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.57, for a total value of $132,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 132,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,512,686.85. The trade was a 3.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company's stock.

J.Jill Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of JILL traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $19.38. 138,090 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 135,499. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company's 50 day moving average is $24.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.18. The company has a market capitalization of $297.29 million, a P/E ratio of 6.85 and a beta of 0.55. J.Jill, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.31 and a 52 week high of $40.61.

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

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is an increase from J.Jill's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.12%.

J.Jill 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.