Insider Selling: J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) CFO Sells 6,740 Shares of Stock

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of J.Jill 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 in the company, valued at $2,773,745.52. This trade represents a 6.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

J.Jill Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE JILL traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $27.72. 75,078 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 133,153. The stock has a market capitalization of $418.02 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $25.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.51. J.Jill, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.06 and a 12 month high of $40.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $155.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $155.13 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.70% and a return on equity of 90.61%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is 9.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JILL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen cut their price target on J.Jill from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of J.Jill from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, J.Jill has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $38.17.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its stake in J.Jill by 2.3% in the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 13,664 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of J.Jill in the second quarter worth about $26,000. CWM LLC purchased a new position in J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in J.Jill by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,676 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in J.Jill in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. 40.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.