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

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

Insider Transactions at J.Jill

In related news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.98, for a total transaction of $134,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,095,887.76. This trade represents a 3.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $192,359.60. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 28,341 shares of company stock valued at $781,538 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JILL. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 196.6% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,887 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its stake in J.Jill by 58.4% during the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 6,272 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 2,312 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in J.Jill by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,079 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in J.Jill in the third quarter worth approximately $256,000. 40.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

J.Jill Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JILL traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $26.09. The stock had a trading volume of 11,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 81,365. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. J.Jill has a 1 year low of $23.41 and a 1 year high of $40.61. The company has a market capitalization of $400.14 million, a PE ratio of 9.22 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.20.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 11th. The specialty retailer reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.09. J.Jill had a return on equity of 71.30% and a net margin of 6.80%. As a group, equities analysts predict that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.07%. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.89%.

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.