J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Increases Dividend to $0.08 Per Share

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, March 19th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 2nd will be given a dividend of 0.08 per share by the specialty retailer on Wednesday, April 16th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. 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. 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 Trading Up 5.8 %

JILL stock traded up $1.05 during trading on Monday, hitting $19.05. 129,476 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 135,501. The company has a 50-day moving average of $24.18 and a 200-day moving average of $25.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.97. J.Jill has a 1 year low of $17.31 and a 1 year high of $40.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $292.15 million, a PE ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 0.55.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.10. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 71.30%. The firm had revenue of $94.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $142.33 million. Analysts predict that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $38.20.

Insider Transactions at J.Jill

In other news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 132,205 shares in the company, valued at $3,512,686.85. This trade represents a 3.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company's stock.

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.