Man Group plc Takes $1.33 Million Position in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Man Group plc bought a new position in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 48,174 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,331,000. Man Group plc owned 0.31% of J.Jill as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,592,886 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $43,996,000 after acquiring an additional 91,545 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of J.Jill by 36.4% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 576,031 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $15,910,000 after acquiring an additional 153,568 shares during the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 96,982 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 18,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of J.Jill by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 178,692 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,935,000 after acquiring an additional 29,640 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company's stock.

J.Jill Stock Up 3.2%

NYSE:JILL traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $16.59. The company had a trading volume of 124,496 shares, compared to its average volume of 144,088. 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 market cap of $253.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.60. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $16.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.47. J.Jill, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.37 and a twelve month high of $40.61.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $94.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $142.33 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 71.30%. On average, equities analysts expect that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were given a $0.08 dividend. This is a positive change from J.Jill's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. J.Jill's payout ratio is currently 12.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.