J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Stock Price Passes Above 50-Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• J.Jill shares moved above their 50-day moving average, reaching $19.05 before last trading at $18.375, compared with a 50-day average of $15.05.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: two analysts rate the stock a Buy and five rate it a Hold, producing a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $15.50.
• The retailer slightly exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.45 in EPS versus a $0.44 consensus estimate and $144.43 million in revenue; it also paid a $0.09 quarterly dividend, equal to a 2.0% yield.

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $15.05 and traded as high as $19.05. J.Jill shares last traded at $18.3750, with a volume of 49,420 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on JILL. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $14.00 price target (up from $13.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $18.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of J.Jill from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $14.00 price target (up from $13.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $15.50.

J.Jill Trading Down 1.2%

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $15.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.83. The company has a market cap of $274.71 million, a P/E ratio of 13.41 and a beta of 0.87. 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 (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, June 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.01. J.Jill had a return on equity of 24.44% and a net margin of 3.56%.The firm had revenue of $144.43 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $144.30 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that J.Jill, Inc. will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 24th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 24th. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio is 26.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 3.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in J.Jill by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 31,129 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 3,499 shares during the last quarter. 1492 Capital Management LLC bought a new position in J.Jill in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $258,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in J.Jill during the 4th quarter valued at $347,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the 4th quarter worth $150,000. 40.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.Jill Company Profile

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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