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

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $18.00.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on JILL. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price objective on J.Jill from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research upgraded J.Jill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded 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 J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, December 10th.

J.Jill Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:JILL opened at $14.98 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $14.72 and a 200 day moving average of $15.68. J.Jill has a 52-week low of $13.32 and a 52-week high of $28.94. 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 firm 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.18. J.Jill had a return on equity of 36.33% and a net margin of 5.60%.The firm had revenue of $150.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.38 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that J.Jill will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 24th were issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. 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 presently 14.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 83.1% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,483 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth $56,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $154,000 after buying an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 40.0% during the 1st quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 11,210 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $219,000 after buying an additional 3,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 3rd quarter valued at about $201,000. 40.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About J.Jill

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.