J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Stock Price Up 3.6% – Should You Buy?

Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) shot up 3.6% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $16.71 and last traded at $16.4410. 85,802 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 9% from the average daily volume of 79,075 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.87.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on JILL. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of J.Jill from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. William Blair lowered shares of J.Jill from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $14.00 target price (up from $13.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.50.

J.Jill Stock Up 3.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $13.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.50. The company has a market cap of $245.79 million, a P/E ratio of 12.00 and a beta of 0.86.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $144.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $144.30 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 24.44% and a net margin of 3.56%. On average, research analysts expect that J.Jill, Inc. will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 24th. J.Jill’s payout ratio is currently 26.28%.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of 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. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in J.Jill in the 4th quarter valued at about $56,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in J.Jill by 46.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,211 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 2,595 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of J.Jill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $150,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted 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 buying an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

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.