J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Stock Price Passes Above 50-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL)’s share price crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $15.05 and traded as high as $19.05. J.Jill shares last traded at $18.3750, with a volume of 49,420 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised J.Jill from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. William Blair downgraded shares of J.Jill from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of J.Jill from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, J.Jill presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $15.50.

J.Jill Trading Down 1.2%

The firm has a market capitalization of $274.71 million, a P/E ratio of 13.41 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.83.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 10th. The specialty retailer reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $144.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $144.30 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 3.56% and a return on equity of 24.44%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that J.Jill, Inc. will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 24th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of J.Jill by 83.1% in 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 in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in J.Jill during the fourth quarter valued at $56,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in J.Jill by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 8,211 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,595 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in J.Jill during the fourth quarter valued at about $150,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in J.Jill by 11.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,908 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $154,000 after buying an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Company Profile

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.