J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $38.17.

JILL has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on J.Jill from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of J.Jill from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.Jill news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 97,188 shares in the company, valued at $2,773,745.52. This trade represents a 6.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JILL. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in J.Jill by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 13,664 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in J.Jill during the second quarter valued at $26,000. CWM LLC acquired a new position in J.Jill during the second quarter valued at $29,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in J.Jill by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,676 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Price Performance

NYSE JILL opened at $26.63 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $401.58 million, a PE ratio of 9.41 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.44. J.Jill has a 12 month low of $23.06 and a 12 month high of $40.61. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.32.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.89%.

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.