Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Buys 2,633 Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,491 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,633 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned approximately 0.28% of J.Jill worth $752,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in J.Jill during the second quarter worth $26,000. CWM LLC acquired a new position in J.Jill during the second quarter worth $29,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in J.Jill during the second quarter worth $34,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in J.Jill during the second quarter worth $81,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in J.Jill during the first quarter worth $201,000. 40.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

J.Jill Stock Performance

Shares of JILL stock opened at $25.47 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $24.87 and a 200-day moving average of $30.73. The company has a market cap of $384.09 million, a P/E ratio of 9.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.44. J.Jill, Inc. has a one year low of $23.06 and a one year high of $40.61.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $155.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 18th were given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 18th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. J.Jill’s payout ratio is currently 9.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on JILL shares. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of J.Jill from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Telsey Advisory Group restated 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 lowered their price objective on shares of J.Jill from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.33.

Insider Activity at J.Jill

In other J.Jill news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 1,348 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.10, for a total transaction of $36,530.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 105,112 shares in the company, valued at $2,848,535.20. This trade represents a 1.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.