J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on JILL. BTIG Research cut their price target on J.Jill from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded J.Jill from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.25.

J.Jill Stock Performance

NYSE JILL opened at $12.22 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. J.Jill has a 52-week low of $10.40 and a 52-week high of $18.80. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $15.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.23. The firm has a market cap of $182.19 million, a P/E ratio of 6.71 and a beta of 0.82.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.10. J.Jill had a return on equity of 30.77% and a net margin of 4.68%.The company had revenue of $138.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.55 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 14th will be given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 14th. This is an increase from J.Jill’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of J.Jill during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in shares of J.Jill by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,211 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,595 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of J.Jill during the fourth quarter worth about $150,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of J.Jill by 11.7% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. 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.