J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Share Price Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $15.05 and traded as high as $19.05. J.Jill shares last traded at $18.3750, with a volume of 49,420 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on JILL. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded J.Jill from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $14.00 price objective (up from $13.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $14.00 price objective (up from $13.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, William Blair cut shares of J.Jill from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.50.

J.Jill Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $270.54 million, a P/E ratio of 13.21 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.16 and a 200-day moving average of $14.85.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $144.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $144.30 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 24.44% and a net margin of 3.56%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that J.Jill, Inc. will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 24th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 24th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of J.Jill by 83.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,483 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 673 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in J.Jill by 1.8% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,210 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $690,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in J.Jill by 11.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $154,000 after buying an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in J.Jill by 3.7% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 23,682 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in J.Jill by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 1,111 shares during the period. 40.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.