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

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are currently covering the firm, 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 issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on JILL shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $18.00 price objective on J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. BTIG Research dropped their price target on J.Jill from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Zacks Research raised J.Jill from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 83.1% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,483 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in J.Jill in the fourth quarter worth $56,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in J.Jill by 46.2% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at $150,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in J.Jill by 11.7% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JILL opened at $16.31 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $16.11 and a 200 day moving average of $15.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $246.44 million, a P/E ratio of 7.45 and a beta of 0.92. J.Jill has a 12 month low of $13.32 and a 12 month high of $22.24.

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

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.