Analysts Set J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Price Target at $18.00

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

Several research firms have recently weighed in on JILL. Zacks Research raised J.Jill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded J.Jill from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of J.Jill from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th.

J.Jill Stock Performance

Shares of JILL opened at $15.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $14.75 and its 200-day moving average is $15.70. J.Jill has a 12-month low of $13.32 and a 12-month high of $28.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $239.87 million, a P/E ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 0.94.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $150.53 million during 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 in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that J.Jill will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Wednesday, December 24th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.61%.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 2nd quarter worth about $56,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in J.Jill by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $154,000 after acquiring an additional 829 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 3,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 3rd quarter valued at about $201,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

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.