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

Key Points

• Zacks Research has downgraded J.Jill from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating, reflecting a negative outlook for the stock.
• The consensus target price for J.Jill shares has been set at $20.00, with varying ratings from analysts, including two "Buy" and three "Hold" ratings.
• J.Jill reported strong quarterly earnings of $0.81 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations, and recorded revenue of $153.99 million for the quarter.

Zacks Research downgraded shares of J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Free Report) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms also recently commented on JILL. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on J.Jill from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. BTIG Research set a $26.00 target price on J.Jill in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on J.Jill from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $20.00.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of JILL stock traded down $0.66 on Monday, hitting $18.08. 102,637 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 98,594. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.64. J.Jill has a 12 month low of $13.36 and a 12 month high of $30.40. The stock has a market cap of $275.31 million, a P/E ratio of 7.56 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a 50 day moving average of $16.50 and a 200 day moving average of $16.46.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, September 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.09. J.Jill had a return on equity of 40.48% and a net margin of 6.12%.The business had revenue of $153.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.02 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that J.Jill will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 17th. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.39%.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in shares of J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in J.Jill by 1,507.4% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,736 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,628 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in J.Jill during the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in J.Jill by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 3,389 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 839 shares during the period. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $56,000. 40.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

J.Jill Company Profile

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.