J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Shares Purchased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Free Report) by 19.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 178,692 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 29,640 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 1.16% of J.Jill worth $4,935,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in J.Jill by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,079 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in J.Jill by 204.2% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,660 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 5,813 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the third quarter worth $256,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at $281,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J.Jill by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 12,267 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $38.20.

J.Jill Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of JILL traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $15.60. The company had a trading volume of 2,546 shares, compared to its average volume of 139,975. J.Jill, Inc. has a 1 year low of $15.05 and a 1 year high of $40.61. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $20.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $237.79 million, a P/E ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.32.

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

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. This is a boost from J.Jill's previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.12%.

J.Jill Company 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.