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

Renaissance Technologies LLC lowered its position in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 464,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 20,800 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 3.03% of J.Jill worth $12,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of J.Jill during the 4th quarter worth $67,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in J.Jill by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,907 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in J.Jill by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,079 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in J.Jill in the 4th quarter valued at about $221,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of J.Jill by 204.2% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,660 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 5,813 shares during the last quarter. 40.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J.Jill presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.20.

J.Jill Stock Performance

NYSE JILL opened at $15.91 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.60 million, a P/E ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 0.32. J.Jill, Inc. has a 1-year low of $15.05 and a 1-year high of $40.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.10. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 71.30%. The business had revenue of $94.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.33 million. Equities analysts predict that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This is an increase from J.Jill’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.12%.

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.