J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.00.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on JILL shares. BTIG Research lowered their price target on J.Jill from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of J.Jill from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of J.Jill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of J.Jill from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $18.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, December 10th.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of J.Jill by 83.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,483 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in J.Jill by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,210 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in J.Jill by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in J.Jill by 3.7% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 23,682 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares during the period. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its position in J.Jill by 4.1% in the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 23,834 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 930 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of JILL opened at $14.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.15. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $14.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.68. J.Jill has a fifty-two week low of $13.32 and a fifty-two week high of $28.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $226.35 million, a PE ratio of 6.84 and a beta of 0.94.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $150.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $148.38 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 5.60% and a return on equity of 36.33%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 24th were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 24th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is 14.61%.

J.Jill Company Profile

J.Jill is a women’s apparel retailer specializing in modern, versatile clothing and accessories. The company designs and markets a range of products that emphasize comfort and style, including knitwear, woven tops, pants, dresses, outerwear, jewelry, and footwear. Through its in-house design team, J.Jill focuses on creating seasonal collections that appeal to women seeking effortless, mix-and-match wardrobes.

Products are sold through a multi-channel distribution network comprising company-operated boutiques, e-commerce platforms, and catalog sales.