J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Announces Earnings Results

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. The company 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 30.77% and a net margin of 4.68%.

J.Jill Stock Down 1.8%

JILL opened at $13.28 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $12.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.08. J.Jill has a one year low of $10.40 and a one year high of $18.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.93 million, a P/E ratio of 7.29 and a beta of 0.92.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 24th will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 24th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. J.Jill’s payout ratio is 19.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in J.Jill by 83.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,483 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 2,595 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in J.Jill in the 4th quarter valued at about $150,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in J.Jill by 11.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $154,000 after acquiring an additional 829 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,111 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on JILL shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded J.Jill from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Zacks Research raised J.Jill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their price target on J.Jill from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.Jill currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.25.

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.