Renaissance Technologies LLC Raises Stake in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) by 7.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 480,056 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,400 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in J.Jill were worth $16,788,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in JILL. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of J.Jill by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 191,023 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,679,000 after purchasing an additional 5,409 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of J.Jill by 2,143.3% in the first quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 134,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,303,000 after acquiring an additional 128,600 shares during the last quarter. Privium Fund Management UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of J.Jill during the second quarter valued at $1,097,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,035,000. Finally, Anchor Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,020,000. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Stock Performance

Shares of JILL opened at $25.13 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $270.10 million, a P/E ratio of 7.50 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. The business has a fifty day moving average of $33.01 and a 200 day moving average of $31.43.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $155.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 firm earned $1.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.31 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 18th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of J.Jill from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on J.Jill from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $38.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Lake Street Capital increased their price objective on J.Jill from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, J.Jill currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $39.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 1,348 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.31, for a total value of $43,553.88. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 107,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,483,276.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other J.Jill news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 1,348 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.31, for a total transaction of $43,553.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 107,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,276.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 1,352 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.74, for a total transaction of $45,616.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 108,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,663,354.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,538 shares of company stock valued at $947,187 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

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.