J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Downgraded to "Strong Sell" Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded J.Jill from a "hold" to a "strong sell", while analyst coverage remains mixed (two Buys, two Holds, two Sells) and MarketBeat shows an average rating of "Hold" with a $17.25 average price target.
• J.Jill recently beat quarterly estimates (EPS -$0.02 vs. -$0.12; revenue $138.4M vs. $135.6M) and reported a 30.77% ROE and 4.68% net margin, even as the stock trades near $12.23 with a market cap of about $182M and a one‑year range of $10.40–$18.80.
• Institutional investors own roughly 40.7% of the company, with several funds (including XTX Topco, Quadrature and Bridgeway) adding or increasing stakes in the fourth quarter.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered J.Jill from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. BTIG Research decreased their price objective on J.Jill from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $16.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $17.25.

J.Jill Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE JILL opened at $12.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $182.36 million, a PE ratio of 6.72 and a beta of 0.82. J.Jill has a one year low of $10.40 and a one year high of $18.80. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $15.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $138.41 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.55 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 30.77% and a net margin of 4.68%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at about $347,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at about $150,000. Invenomic Capital Management LP increased its holdings in J.Jill by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 203,227 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,788,000 after purchasing an additional 3,161 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in J.Jill by 77.1% in the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 29,759 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 12,959 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in J.Jill by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,417 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company's stock.

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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