J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Earns "Market Perform" Rating from Telsey Advisory Group

Key Points

• Telsey Advisory Group has restated J.Jill's stock rating to "market perform" with a target price of $17.00, reflecting a potential downside of 0.52% from the previous close.
• Despite recent challenges, J.Jill reported an EPS of $0.88 for the previous quarter, meeting analyst expectations, but fell short on revenue with $153.62 million against a $156.90 million estimate.
• Institutional investors have increased holdings in J.Jill, with notable increases from CenterBook Partners LP and Paradigm Capital Management, indicating ongoing confidence in the specialty retailer.

Telsey Advisory Group reiterated their market perform rating on shares of J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Free Report) in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $17.00 target price on the specialty retailer's stock.

JILL has been the topic of several other research reports. Zacks Research upgraded J.Jill from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. BTIG Research set a $30.00 price objective on J.Jill and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on J.Jill from $33.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.Jill currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $26.25.

J.Jill Price Performance

NYSE:JILL traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $17.03. 44,943 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 108,790. The firm's 50-day moving average is $15.76 and its 200-day moving average is $17.00. The stock has a market cap of $260.14 million, a P/E ratio of 7.60 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.50. J.Jill has a 1-year low of $13.36 and a 1-year high of $32.41.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, June 11th. The specialty retailer reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88. The firm had revenue of $153.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $156.90 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 46.94% and a net margin of 5.72%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 17th. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 1,592,886 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $43,996,000 after buying an additional 91,545 shares during the period. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 13.5% in the 2nd quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY now owns 1,057,300 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $15,479,000 after buying an additional 125,838 shares during the period. Fund 1 Investments LLC raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 22.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 936,248 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $13,707,000 after buying an additional 173,785 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 768,127 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $15,002,000 after buying an additional 192,096 shares during the period. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 270,921 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,291,000 after buying an additional 36,255 shares during the period. 40.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About J.Jill

J.Jill, Inc operates as an omnichannel retailer for women's apparel under the J.Jill brand in the United States. It offers apparel, footwear, and accessories, including scarves and jewelry. The company markets its products through retail stores, website, and catalogs. J.Jill, Inc was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts.