J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.67 EPS

Key Points

• J.Jill significantly beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $1.24 versus the $0.57 consensus estimate. Revenue reached $154.83 million, also exceeding analysts’ $151.26 million forecast.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share, equivalent to $0.36 annually and a 1.8% yield, payable October 7 to shareholders of record September 23.
• Despite the earnings beat, analyst sentiment remains cautious: J.Jill has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $17.50, below its reported opening price of $19.78.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.67, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $154.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $151.26 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 3.56% and a return on equity of 24.44%.

J.Jill Price Performance

JILL opened at $19.78 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $295.74 million, a P/E ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $18.14 and a 200-day moving average of $15.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 1.13. J.Jill has a 1-year low of $10.40 and a 1-year high of $20.89.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 23rd. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio is 26.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Mark W. Webb sold 3,745 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.30, for a total transaction of $76,023.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 173,048 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,512,874.40. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 11,158 shares of company stock valued at $225,984 in the last three months. Insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of J.Jill by 11.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $154,000 after buying an additional 829 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in J.Jill by 46.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,211 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 2,595 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the fourth quarter worth approximately $150,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its stake in shares of J.Jill by 40.0% in the first quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 11,210 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 3,205 shares during the last quarter. 40.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JILL has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target on J.Jill from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on J.Jill from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. William Blair cut J.Jill from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Zacks Research raised shares of J.Jill from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of J.Jill from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.Jill currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $17.50.

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.

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