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

Shares of J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.17.

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $31.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Thursday, December 12th.

J.Jill Stock Performance

NYSE JILL opened at $27.15 on Thursday. J.Jill has a 1-year low of $23.06 and a 1-year high of $40.61. The company has a 50 day moving average of $26.57 and a 200-day moving average of $29.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $416.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 0.69.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. J.Jill’s payout ratio is 9.89%.

Insider Activity

In other J.Jill news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 6,601 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.75, for a total transaction of $189,778.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,652,095. The trade was a 3.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,341 shares of company stock valued at $517,038 over the last three months. 6.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 149,052 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,616,000 after acquiring an additional 17,744 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of J.Jill by 76.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 6,202 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in J.Jill by 28.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 140,762 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,473,000 after purchasing an additional 31,265 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in J.Jill in the third quarter valued at about $606,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in J.Jill during the third quarter worth about $256,000. 40.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About J.Jill

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.