J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Stock Holdings Increased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 149,052 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,744 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in J.Jill were worth $3,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JILL. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the second quarter worth $34,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the second quarter valued at $81,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in shares of J.Jill by 58.4% in the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 6,272 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 2,312 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in J.Jill in the 3rd quarter worth about $256,000. 40.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at J.Jill

In other J.Jill news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.98, for a total value of $134,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 151,812 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,887.76. The trade was a 3.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $192,359.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 97,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,773,745.52. This trade represents a 6.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,341 shares of company stock valued at $517,038. 6.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on JILL. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of J.Jill from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of J.Jill from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.Jill has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.17.

J.Jill Stock Performance

Shares of JILL opened at $26.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $406.66 million, a PE ratio of 9.37 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $26.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.87. J.Jill, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.06 and a 52 week high of $40.61.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.89%.

J.Jill 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.