J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) from a strong sell rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

JILL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded J.Jill from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $18.00 price objective on J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their target price on J.Jill from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.Jill presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $18.00.

J.Jill Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE JILL traded down $0.12 during trading on Monday, reaching $16.40. 17,519 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 65,385. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. J.Jill has a fifty-two week low of $13.32 and a fifty-two week high of $26.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $15.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.82. The firm has a market cap of $247.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.49 and a beta of 0.96.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.18. J.Jill had a return on equity of 36.33% and a net margin of 5.60%.The business had revenue of $150.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $148.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. Analysts predict that J.Jill will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 24th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 24th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. J.Jill’s payout ratio is presently 14.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JILL. Royce & Associates LP increased its position in shares of J.Jill by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,303,493 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,884,000 after acquiring an additional 99,390 shares during the last quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY increased its stake in shares of J.Jill by 13.5% during the 2nd quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY now owns 1,057,300 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $15,479,000 after purchasing an additional 125,838 shares during the last quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 22.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 936,248 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,707,000 after purchasing an additional 173,785 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 201,255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,404 shares during the period. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new position in J.Jill in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,431,000. 40.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.