J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Shares Purchased by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) by 26.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 732 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in J.Jill were worth $96,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.Jill currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.20.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of JILL opened at $15.91 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.37 and a 1-year high of $40.61. The stock has a market cap of $243.15 million, a PE ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $17.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.09.

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. The business had revenue of $94.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $142.33 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 71.30% and a net margin of 6.80%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd were issued a $0.08 dividend. 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 was Wednesday, April 2nd. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.12%.

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.