J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Stock Has Average Price Target of $24.50 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts are broadly neutral on J.Jill: Seven firms have an average “Hold” rating, with five Holds and two Buys; the average 12-month price target is $24.50.
• In its latest reported quarter, J.Jill posted earnings of $1.24 per share, beating the $0.57 consensus estimate, and revenue of $154.83 million, above expectations.
• Company insiders sold 73,287 shares worth about $1.65 million over the last quarter; insiders own 4.40% of the stock.

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities 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 target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $24.50.

JILL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised J.Jill from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 12th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on J.Jill from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on J.Jill from $18.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Weiss Ratings raised J.Jill from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $25.00 price objective (up from $16.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.Jill

In related news, EVP Mark W. Webb sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.28, for a total transaction of $582,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 121,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,835,341.04. This trade represents a 17.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Elliot Staples sold 13,287 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.20, for a total value of $321,545.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 60,270 shares in the company, valued at $1,458,534. This represents a 18.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 73,287 shares of company stock valued at $1,651,880 over the last quarter. Insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of J.Jill by 843.9% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 41,834 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,019,000 after buying an additional 37,402 shares during the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 3rd quarter worth $591,000. Fund 1 Investments LLC increased its holdings in J.Jill by 96.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 1,328,949 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $21,090,000 after purchasing an additional 653,645 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of J.Jill by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 279,496 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,208,000 after acquiring an additional 8,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 12.7% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 31,129 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 3,499 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company's stock.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JILL opened at $22.37 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $23.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $332.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.86. J.Jill has a one year low of $10.40 and a one year high of $25.14.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 9th. The specialty retailer reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.67. J.Jill had a net margin of 4.62% and a return on equity of 28.51%. The company had revenue of $154.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.26 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that J.Jill will post 1.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 23rd were given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 23rd. J.Jill's payout ratio is 20.11%.

J.Jill Company Profile

J.Jill, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on women's apparel, footwear and accessories. The company offers relaxed, versatile clothing designed primarily for women age 40 and older, with product categories that include dresses, tops, sweaters, pants, jackets, intimates and accessories.

J.Jill serves customers through a multichannel model that includes its retail stores, e-commerce website and direct-mail catalogs. Its merchandise is marketed under the J.Jill brand and is available primarily in the United States, with the company emphasizing comfort, fit and coordinated wardrobe collections.

The company traces its roots to 1959, when it began as a catalog retailer.

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