J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.08

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, March 19th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be paid a dividend of 0.08 per share by the specialty retailer on Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 2nd. This is a 14.3% increase from J.Jill’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07.

J.Jill has a dividend payout ratio of 7.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect J.Jill to earn $3.62 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.28 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 7.7%.

J.Jill Stock Down 7.2 %

J.Jill stock traded down $1.40 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $18.09. The stock had a trading volume of 201,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 136,876. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $24.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $277.44 million, a P/E ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 0.55. J.Jill has a 12-month low of $17.99 and a 12-month 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.10. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 71.30%. The company had revenue of $94.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $142.33 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that J.Jill will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.57, for a total transaction of $132,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 132,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,512,686.85. This represents a 3.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $38.17.

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.