Jefferies Financial Group Cuts J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) Price Target to $40.00

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) had its target price dropped by Jefferies Financial Group from $44.00 to $40.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 49.25% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on JILL. BTIG Research initiated coverage on J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $44.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen initiated coverage on J.Jill in a report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Lake Street Capital raised their target price on J.Jill from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J.Jill currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $40.17.

J.Jill Trading Down 16.9 %

Shares of NYSE JILL traded down $5.44 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.80. 918,777 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 126,554. The firm has a market capitalization of $288.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.12 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.00. J.Jill has a 52-week low of $23.06 and a 52-week high of $40.61. The company’s 50-day moving average is $35.47 and its 200-day moving average is $31.44.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 7th. The specialty retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $161.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.00 million. J.Jill had a return on equity of 136.44% and a net margin of 7.84%. Analysts expect that J.Jill will post 3.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.Jill

In other J.Jill news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.76, for a total value of $337,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 204,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,919,483.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Investors Ltd. Towerbrook sold 1,300,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.00, for a total transaction of $40,300,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,021,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,664,764. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Claire Spofford sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.76, for a total transaction of $337,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 204,961 shares in the company, valued at $6,919,483.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,326,190 shares of company stock valued at $41,210,657. 6.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of J.Jill by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 13,664 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. CWM LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of J.Jill by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,676 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. 40.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.Jill Company Profile

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.