Short Interest in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Expands By 7.5%

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) saw a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 406,500 shares, an increase of 7.5% from the December 31st total of 378,000 shares. Currently, 5.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 118,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

J.Jill Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of JILL stock traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $26.15. 9,511 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 81,284. The firm has a market cap of $401.08 million, a P/E ratio of 9.27 and a beta of 0.69. J.Jill has a fifty-two week low of $23.41 and a fifty-two week high of $40.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.20.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 11th. The specialty retailer reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.09. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 71.30%. Equities analysts anticipate that J.Jill will post 3.36 EPS for the current year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. J.Jill’s payout ratio is currently 9.89%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 6,601 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.75, for a total value of $189,778.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 161,812 shares in the company, valued at $4,652,095. This trade represents a 3.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $192,359.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,773,745.52. This trade represents a 6.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 28,341 shares of company stock worth $781,538. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in J.Jill during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in J.Jill by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,079 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $196,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in J.Jill by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 106,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,632,000 after acquiring an additional 1,267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in J.Jill by 196.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 1,887 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.17.

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.