J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Given Market Perform Rating at Telsey Advisory Group

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL)‘s stock had its “market perform” rating reiterated by stock analysts at Telsey Advisory Group in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $31.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 32.28% from the company’s previous close.

J.Jill Stock Performance

Shares of J.Jill stock opened at $23.44 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $26.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.85. The firm has a market cap of $359.49 million, a P/E ratio of 8.28 and a beta of 0.69. J.Jill has a 12 month low of $23.39 and a 12 month high of $40.61.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 11th. The specialty retailer reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.09. J.Jill had a return on equity of 71.30% and a net margin of 6.80%. On average, equities research analysts expect that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.Jill news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.57, for a total value 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 approximately $3,512,686.85. This trade represents a 3.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $192,359.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 97,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,773,745.52. The trade was a 6.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 28,341 shares of company stock valued at $781,538. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 502.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 77,144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,903,000 after purchasing an additional 64,335 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in J.Jill by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 140,762 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,473,000 after buying an additional 31,265 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,167,000. Royce & Associates LP boosted its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 422,463 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,422,000 after acquiring an additional 119,282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of J.Jill by 76.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 6,202 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

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.