J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.17.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on JILL. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of J.Jill from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on J.Jill from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 5th.

J.Jill Trading Up 2.1 %

JILL stock opened at $26.22 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.14. The company has a market cap of $402.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.27 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. J.Jill has a 52 week low of $23.06 and a 52 week high of $40.61.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. J.Jill’s payout ratio is 9.89%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $192,359.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,773,745.52. This trade represents a 6.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.98, for a total value of $134,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 151,812 shares in the company, valued at $4,095,887.76. This represents a 3.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,341 shares of company stock worth $517,038 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in J.Jill by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 480,056 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $16,788,000 after buying an additional 31,400 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in shares of J.Jill by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 422,463 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,422,000 after buying an additional 119,282 shares during the period. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY increased its position in J.Jill by 109.3% in the 2nd quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY now owns 346,856 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $12,130,000 after buying an additional 181,116 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in J.Jill by 539.4% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 304,273 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,640,000 after buying an additional 256,687 shares during the period. Finally, Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new position in J.Jill during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,120,000. 40.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.