Royce & Associates LP Purchases 119,282 Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Royce & Associates LP raised its holdings in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Free Report) by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 422,463 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 119,282 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned about 2.80% of J.Jill worth $10,422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 2.3% during the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 13,664 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. CWM LLC bought a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,676 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. 40.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at J.Jill

In other J.Jill news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 1,348 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.10, for a total value of $36,530.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 105,112 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,848,535.20. This represents a 1.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company's stock.

J.Jill Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of J.Jill stock traded down $0.19 on Friday, hitting $25.47. The stock had a trading volume of 76,941 shares, compared to its average volume of 104,611. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. J.Jill, Inc. has a one year low of $23.06 and a one year high of $40.61. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $24.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.73. The stock has a market cap of $384.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.00 and a beta of 0.61.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $155.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $155.13 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 90.61%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.31 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 18th were issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 18th. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JILL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen reduced their target price on J.Jill from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $38.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of J.Jill from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $39.33.

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.