Back to top

Image: Bigstock

J.Jill, Inc. (JILL) Hit a 52 Week High, Can the Run Continue?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Have you been paying attention to shares of J.Jill (JILL - Free Report) ? Shares have been on the move with the stock up 9.1% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $28.25 in the previous session. J.Jill has gained 13.4% since the start of the year compared to the 13.4% move for the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector and the 22.3% return for the Zacks Retail - Apparel and Shoes industry.

What's Driving the Outperformance?

The stock has an impressive record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on December 6, 2022, J.Jill reported EPS of $0.77 versus consensus estimate of $0.54 while it beat the consensus revenue estimate by 1.22%.

For the current fiscal year, J.Jill is expected to post earnings of $3.17 per share on $610.7 million in revenues. Meanwhile, for the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $3.17 per share on $635.6 million in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 208.56% and 4.08%, respectively.

Valuation Metrics

J.Jill may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company has run ahead of itself.

On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as they provide investors with an additional way to sort through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.

J.Jill has a Value Score of A. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are A and F, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of A.

In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 8.9X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is not in-line with the peer industry average of 14.2X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 4.4X versus its peer group's average of 4.6X. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.

Zacks Rank

We also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, J.Jill currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.

Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if J.Jill fits the bill. Thus, it seems as though J.Jill shares could still be poised for more gains ahead.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


J.Jill, Inc. (JILL) - free report >>

Published in