By Sam Boughedda
Investing.com -- Retailer J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) is trading a couple of percent higher Tuesday after reporting earnings before the bell.
The company's earnings per share of $0.15 beat analyst expectations of $0.02. However, revenue missed estimates, coming in at $145.2 million, with analysts polled by Investing.com expecting revenue of $155.7 million.
Total comparable sales increased by 19.7%. However, direct-to-consumer sales declined 8.8%, which J.Jill said was driven by lower markdown sales.
“Fiscal 2021 marked a year of significant recovery for J.Jill driven by the strengthening of our operating model focused on delivering gross margin improvement through disciplined inventory management and full price selling,” said Claire Spofford, President and CEO of J.Jill
For the first quarter of fiscal 2022, the company expects revenues to grow between 11% and 14%.
"Looking ahead, our focus will remain on driving profitable growth while introducing new customers to our relevant and compelling brand and products," added Spofford.