J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $18.00.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of J.Jill from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, BTIG Research dropped their price target on J.Jill from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JILL. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 1.8% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,210 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $690,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position 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 valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in J.Jill by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 23,682 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in J.Jill by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JILL opened at $17.29 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $261.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.89 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.64. J.Jill has a 12 month low of $13.32 and a 12 month high of $23.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $15.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.92.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations of $148.38 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 36.33% and a net margin of 5.60%.During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 24th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

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.