Geode Capital Management LLC Boosts Stake in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) by 28.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 140,762 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 31,265 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in J.Jill were worth $3,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of JILL. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $81,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 2,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.Jill during the 3rd quarter worth $256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.17.

J.Jill Stock Performance

NYSE:JILL opened at $27.88 on Tuesday. J.Jill, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.06 and a fifty-two week high of $40.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $26.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.35. The company has a market cap of $427.68 million, a P/E ratio of 9.85 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. J.Jill’s payout ratio is currently 9.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.Jill

In related news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.98, for a total transaction of $134,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 151,812 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,887.76. The trade was a 3.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 97,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,773,745.52. The trade was a 6.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,341 shares of company stock valued at $517,038. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

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.