J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Receives $18.00 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.00.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $18.00 target price on J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of J.Jill from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Zacks Research lowered shares of J.Jill from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,503,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in J.Jill during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at about $232,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of J.Jill by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 16,844 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $231,000 after acquiring an additional 3,950 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.Jill by 502.7% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 74,335 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 62,001 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of J.Jill stock opened at $16.82 on Thursday. 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 market capitalization of $254.15 million, a P/E ratio of 7.68 and a beta of 0.96. J.Jill has a 1 year low of $13.32 and a 1 year high of $26.03. The company’s fifty day moving average is $15.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.82.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.18. J.Jill had a net margin of 5.60% and a return on equity of 36.33%. The business had revenue of $150.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.38 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 24th were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 24th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. J.Jill’s 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.