Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes $2.21 Million Position in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 80,048 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,211,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.52% of J.Jill as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,592,886 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $43,996,000 after purchasing an additional 91,545 shares in the last quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY boosted its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY now owns 921,300 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,446,000 after acquiring an additional 285,715 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in shares of J.Jill by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 576,031 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $15,910,000 after acquiring an additional 153,568 shares during the period. Fund 1 Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 48.1% during the fourth quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 298,429 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $8,243,000 after purchasing an additional 96,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in J.Jill by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,802 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $6,511,000 after purchasing an additional 18,061 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company's stock.

J.Jill Stock Performance

NYSE JILL traded down $0.10 on Friday, hitting $16.00. 71,569 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 144,370. The business's 50 day moving average price is $16.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.24. J.Jill, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.37 and a 52-week high of $40.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $244.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.60.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts expect that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 2nd. This is a boost from J.Jill's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on J.Jill from $33.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $35.40.

J.Jill 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.