J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Price Target Raised to $44.00

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) had its target price increased by Lake Street Capital from $38.00 to $44.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Separately, B. Riley reiterated a buy rating and set a $38.00 price objective (up from $35.00) on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, March 21st.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JILL opened at $39.55 on Monday. J.Jill has a fifty-two week low of $18.85 and a fifty-two week high of $40.61. The company has a market cap of $425.08 million, a PE ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.31.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 7th. The specialty retailer reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $161.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.00 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 136.44%. As a group, equities analysts expect that J.Jill will post 3.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 29th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 29th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.36%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shelley B. Milano sold 948 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.25, for a total value of $27,729.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,191 shares in the company, valued at $385,836.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 4,188 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.19, for a total transaction of $122,247.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 209,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,102,957.63. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shelley B. Milano sold 948 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.25, for a total value of $27,729.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $385,836.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 41,190 shares of company stock valued at $1,249,007. 6.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AJOVista LLC purchased a new position in J.Jill during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of J.Jill during the 4th quarter worth approximately $155,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in J.Jill in the 4th quarter valued at $165,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in J.Jill in the 1st quarter worth $201,000. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new position in J.Jill during the fourth quarter worth $206,000. 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.