Analysts Set J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) PT at $18.00

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $18.00.

JILL has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen raised J.Jill from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Zacks Research raised J.Jill from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $18.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, December 10th.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of J.Jill by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 195,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,681,000 after purchasing an additional 5,129 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 47,456 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $651,000 after acquiring an additional 1,688 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in J.Jill by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 13,385 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $184,000 after purchasing an additional 2,041 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP boosted its stake in shares of J.Jill by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,303,493 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,884,000 after purchasing an additional 99,390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Ridge Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,503,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of J.Jill stock traded up $0.29 on Thursday, hitting $16.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,711 shares, compared to its average volume of 64,347. The company has a market capitalization of $249.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.61 and a beta of 0.96. J.Jill has a 1 year low of $13.32 and a 1 year high of $26.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $15.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.83.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $150.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.38 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 36.33% and a net margin of 5.60%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 24th were issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 24th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is 14.61%.

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.