J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Given “Market Perform” Rating at Telsey Advisory Group

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL)‘s stock had its “market perform” rating reiterated by analysts at Telsey Advisory Group in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $31.00 target price on the specialty retailer’s stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 58.08% from the company’s current price.

J.Jill Trading Down 4.4 %

NYSE:JILL opened at $19.61 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $300.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.93 and a beta of 0.55. J.Jill has a 1-year low of $19.46 and a 1-year high of $40.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 11th. The specialty retailer reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.09. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 71.30%. Sell-side analysts forecast that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.98, for a total transaction of $134,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,095,887.76. The trade was a 3.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,601 shares of company stock valued at $589,179. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JILL. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of J.Jill by 502.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 77,144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,903,000 after purchasing an additional 64,335 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in J.Jill by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 140,762 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,473,000 after buying an additional 31,265 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,167,000. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 39.3% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 422,463 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,422,000 after acquiring an additional 119,282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of J.Jill by 76.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 6,202 shares during the last quarter. 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.