J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Price Target Raised to $18.00

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) had its price target increased by TD Cowen from $14.00 to $18.00 in a research note released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

JILL has been the subject of several other research reports. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. William Blair lowered J.Jill from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective (up from $13.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded J.Jill from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Zacks Research raised J.Jill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.50.

J.Jill Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of JILL opened at $20.40 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $305.00 million, a PE ratio of 14.89 and a beta of 0.84. J.Jill has a 1 year low of $10.40 and a 1 year high of $20.67. 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.16.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last posted 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $144.30 million. Analysts forecast that J.Jill will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 24th were issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 24th. J.Jill’s payout ratio is 26.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of J.Jill by 83.1% during 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 last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in J.Jill by 11.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 829 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in J.Jill by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,211 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 2,595 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at $150,000. 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.