J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Stock Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) passed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $16.45 and traded as high as $19.28. J.Jill shares last traded at $18.8150, with a volume of 33,129 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $14.00 price target (up from $13.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded J.Jill from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective (up from $13.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.50.

J.Jill Stock Down 0.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $281.28 million, a PE ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50 day moving average of $16.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.05.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.01. J.Jill had a net margin of 3.56% and a return on equity of 24.44%. The business had revenue of $144.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $144.30 million. Analysts predict that J.Jill, Inc. will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 24th were paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 24th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY boosted its stake in J.Jill by 13.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in J.Jill by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 279,496 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,208,000 after purchasing an additional 8,172 shares in the last quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP boosted its stake in J.Jill by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 203,227 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,788,000 after purchasing an additional 3,161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in J.Jill by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 195,379 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,681,000 after purchasing an additional 5,129 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

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.