Meeder Asset Management Inc. Acquires 5,813 Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) by 204.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,660 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,813 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. owned 0.06% of J.Jill worth $239,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of J.Jill by 502.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 77,144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,903,000 after acquiring an additional 64,335 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in J.Jill by 28.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 140,762 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,473,000 after purchasing an additional 31,265 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of J.Jill by 76.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 6,202 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of J.Jill by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,079 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 36.4% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 576,031 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,910,000 after purchasing an additional 153,568 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Trading Up 4.6 %

J.Jill stock opened at $19.55 on Tuesday. J.Jill, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.31 and a 1 year high of $40.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $23.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market cap of $299.93 million, a P/E ratio of 6.91 and a beta of 0.55.

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 company had revenue of $94.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $142.33 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 71.30%. On average, equities analysts predict that J.Jill, Inc. will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a $0.08 dividend. This is an increase from J.Jill’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 2nd. J.Jill’s payout ratio is currently 12.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.Jill currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.20.

Insider Activity at J.Jill

In other J.Jill news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.33, for a total transaction of $131,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 142,205 shares in the company, valued at $3,744,257.65. This trade represents a 3.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 6.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.