J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.25.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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. BTIG Research dropped their target price on J.Jill from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised J.Jill from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JILL. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in J.Jill by 83.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,483 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of J.Jill by 1.8% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,210 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $690,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 23,682 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in J.Jill by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JILL opened at $11.21 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $166.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 0.82. J.Jill has a 12 month low of $10.40 and a 12 month high of $18.80. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.12) by $0.10. J.Jill had a net margin of 4.68% and a return on equity of 30.77%. The firm had revenue of $138.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $135.55 million. Analysts expect that J.Jill will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 14th will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This is a positive change from J.Jill’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 14th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. J.Jill’s payout ratio is 17.58%.

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.