Boston Partners Has $4.47 Million Position in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Boston Partners lessened its position in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) by 4.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 139,673 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 6,335 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned about 1.30% of J.Jill worth $4,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AJOVista LLC acquired a new position in J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in J.Jill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $155,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in J.Jill during the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 4th quarter valued at $165,000. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP bought a new position in J.Jill in the 4th quarter valued at $206,000. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 13,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.87, for a total value of $483,886.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 181,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,509,364.77. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 1,352 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.74, for a total value of $45,616.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 108,576 shares in the company, valued at $3,663,354.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Claire Spofford sold 13,490 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.87, for a total transaction of $483,886.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 181,471 shares in the company, valued at $6,509,364.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,324,842 shares of company stock worth $41,167,103. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research began coverage on J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price for the company. Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on shares of J.Jill from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Friday, July 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, J.Jill has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.50.

J.Jill Trading Down 4.5 %

J.Jill stock traded down $1.65 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $34.80. The stock had a trading volume of 159,417 shares, compared to its average volume of 183,993. The stock has a market capitalization of $374.10 million, a PE ratio of 10.39 and a beta of 0.65. J.Jill, Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.49 and a 12 month high of $40.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.94.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 7th. The specialty retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $161.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.00 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 136.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 29th were issued a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 29th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.36%.

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.