J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Increases Dividend to $0.09 Per Share

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 14th will be given a dividend of 0.09 per share by the specialty retailer on Tuesday, April 28th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 14th. This is a 12.5% increase from J.Jill’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08.

J.Jill has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.5%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 1 years. J.Jill has a dividend payout ratio of 8.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect J.Jill to earn $3.62 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.32 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 8.8%.

J.Jill Price Performance

JILL traded down $3.67 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $11.30. 685,187 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 67,917. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.67 million, a PE ratio of 5.16 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $16.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.76. J.Jill has a 1-year low of $10.45 and a 1-year high of $19.75.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.12) by $0.10. J.Jill had a net margin of 5.60% and a return on equity of 36.33%. The business had revenue of $138.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.55 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that J.Jill will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JILL. Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,303,493 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $17,884,000 after purchasing an additional 99,390 shares during the last quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY grew its position in shares of J.Jill by 13.5% in the second quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY now owns 1,057,300 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,479,000 after purchasing an additional 125,838 shares during the period. Fund 1 Investments LLC increased its stake in J.Jill by 22.8% in the second quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 936,248 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,707,000 after purchasing an additional 173,785 shares during the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP increased its stake in J.Jill by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 203,227 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,788,000 after purchasing an additional 3,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in J.Jill by 3.8% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 201,255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,946,000 after buying an additional 7,404 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

About J.Jill

J.Jill is a women’s apparel retailer specializing in modern, versatile clothing and accessories. The company designs and markets a range of products that emphasize comfort and style, including knitwear, woven tops, pants, dresses, outerwear, jewelry, and footwear. Through its in-house design team, J.Jill focuses on creating seasonal collections that appeal to women seeking effortless, mix-and-match wardrobes.

Products are sold through a multi-channel distribution network comprising company-operated boutiques, e-commerce platforms, and catalog sales.