J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Shares Acquired by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Free Report) by 36.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 576,031 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 153,568 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned about 3.76% of J.Jill worth $15,910,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of JILL. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of J.Jill by 186.1% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 106,856 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,951,000 after buying an additional 69,511 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in J.Jill by 502.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 77,144 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,903,000 after purchasing an additional 64,335 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,167,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in J.Jill by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 140,762 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,473,000 after purchasing an additional 31,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $606,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.71% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.57, for a total transaction of $132,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 132,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,512,686.85. This trade represents a 3.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, J.Jill currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $38.17.

J.Jill Stock Performance

NYSE:JILL traded down $1.40 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $18.09. 201,491 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 136,876. The stock has a market capitalization of $277.44 million, a P/E ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 0.55. J.Jill, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.99 and a 52 week high of $40.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.45.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $94.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $142.33 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 71.30% and a net margin of 6.80%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This is an increase from J.Jill's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.89%.

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.