Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 5,600 Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its stake in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) by 14.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,400 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,600 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in J.Jill were worth $835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AJOVista LLC acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of J.Jill during the third quarter worth approximately $81,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in J.Jill during the 4th quarter worth $165,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 3rd quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, Stokes Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the 3rd quarter worth $208,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JILL traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $27.60. 3,222 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 84,567. J.Jill, Inc. has a twelve month low of $18.85 and a twelve month high of $32.96. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market cap of $296.70 million, a PE ratio of 11.12 and a beta of 1.01.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.24. J.Jill had a return on equity of 194.65% and a net margin of 6.00%. The firm had revenue of $149.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $147.57 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price target (up from $35.00) on shares of J.Jill in a report on Thursday, March 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other J.Jill news, Director Jyothi Rao sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total transaction of $52,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $429,519. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Michael A. Eck sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.67, for a total transaction of $445,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $678,018.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jyothi Rao sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total transaction of $52,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $429,519. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 41,190 shares of company stock valued at $1,249,007 in the last three months. Insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

About J.Jill

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.