J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Hold” consensus on J.Jill, with five hold ratings and two buys among seven analysts. The average 12-month price target is $23.75.
• J.Jill reported quarterly EPS of $1.24, exceeding the $0.57 consensus estimate, while revenue of $154.83 million also topped expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share, equivalent to a 1.5% annualized yield; meanwhile, insiders have sold 30,000 shares over the past three months.

Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $23.75.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of J.Jill from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of J.Jill from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 target price (up from $16.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of J.Jill from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of J.Jill from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th.

J.Jill Stock Performance

Shares of JILL opened at $24.04 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $357.26 million, a P/E ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 0.87. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $19.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.74. J.Jill has a 12 month low of $10.40 and a 12 month high of $24.50.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The specialty retailer reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.67. J.Jill had a return on equity of 28.51% and a net margin of 4.62%.The company had revenue of $154.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.26 million. As a group, analysts predict that J.Jill will post 1.76 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 23rd. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Mark W. Webb sold 13,756 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.61, for a total transaction of $297,267.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 146,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,172,196.73. This represents a 8.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders sold 30,000 shares of company stock valued at $625,734. Insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JILL. 1492 Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 1st quarter worth $258,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in J.Jill by 12.7% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 31,129 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $357,000 after buying an additional 3,499 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of J.Jill by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 47,456 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $651,000 after buying an additional 1,688 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of J.Jill by 3.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 279,496 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,208,000 after buying an additional 8,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,303,493 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $17,884,000 after buying an additional 99,390 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company's stock.

J.Jill Company Profile

J.Jill, Inc NYSE: JILL is a women's apparel retailer focused on providing clothing and accessories for women in a range of sizes. The company's product assortment generally includes casual apparel such as tops, sweaters, dresses, pants, jackets, and outerwear, along with footwear and accessories.

J.Jill serves customers through an omnichannel retail model that combines its branded stores with e-commerce and direct-to-consumer offerings. Its products are designed around comfortable, versatile styling for everyday wear, with the company primarily targeting women seeking relaxed and contemporary apparel.

The company's retail and digital operations serve customers across the United States.

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