Reviewing J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) and Stage Stores (OTCMKTS:SSINQ)

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) and Stage Stores (OTCMKTS:SSINQ) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership and earnings.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for J.Jill and Stage Stores, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
J.Jill	2	2	2	0	2.00
Stage Stores	0	0	0	0	0.00

J.Jill currently has a consensus price target of $17.25, indicating a potential upside of 38.28%. Given J.Jill’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe J.Jill is more favorable than Stage Stores.

Profitability

This table compares J.Jill and Stage Stores’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
J.Jill	4.68%	30.77%	8.38%
Stage Stores	N/A	N/A	N/A

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares J.Jill and Stage Stores”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
J.Jill	$596.55 million	0.31	$27.89 million	$1.82	6.85
Stage Stores	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

J.Jill has higher revenue and earnings than Stage Stores.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

40.7% of J.Jill shares are held by institutional investors. 4.4% of J.Jill shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 11.6% of Stage Stores shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

J.Jill beats Stage Stores on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

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.

About Stage Stores

Stage Stores, Inc. operates specialty department stores primarily in small towns and rural communities in the United States. The company sells moderately priced and brand name apparel, accessories, cosmetics, footwear, and home goods through its department stores, off-price stores, and e-commerce Website, as well as through private label credit card and loyalty programs. As of September 17, 2019, it operated 625 BEALLS, GOODY'S, PALAIS ROYAL, PEEBLES, and STAGE specialty department stores; and 158 GORDMANS off-price stores. The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. On May 10, 2020, Stage Stores, Inc., along with its affiliate, filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The plan was later approved as Chapter 11 liquidation on August 14, 2020.