J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.18 EPS

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The specialty retailer reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.18, FiscalAI reports. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.12% and a return on equity of 40.48%. The company had revenue of $150.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.38 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JILL opened at $16.44 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $250.31 million, a P/E ratio of 6.88 and a beta of 0.90. J.Jill has a 52 week low of $13.32 and a 52 week high of $30.40. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $15.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.85.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 24th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.39%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 931.8% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 147,892 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,165,000 after buying an additional 133,558 shares during the period. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY raised its position in J.Jill by 13.5% in the second quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY now owns 1,057,300 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $15,479,000 after acquiring an additional 125,838 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in J.Jill by 502.7% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 74,335 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 62,001 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in J.Jill by 11.9% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 175,286 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,567,000 after acquiring an additional 18,576 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the 3rd quarter worth $288,000. 40.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on JILL shares. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on J.Jill from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of J.Jill from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.00.

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.