J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Short Interest Update

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of 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. Currently, 5.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 118,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JILL traded down $0.42 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $26.09. 11,322 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 81,365. The company has a market cap of $400.14 million, a PE ratio of 9.22 and a beta of 0.69. J.Jill has a twelve month low of $23.41 and a twelve month high of $40.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The firm 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 11th. The specialty retailer reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 research analysts forecast that J.Jill will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 6,601 shares of the business’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. The trade was a 3.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $192,359.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,188 shares in the company, valued at $2,773,745.52. The trade was a 6.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 28,341 shares of company stock valued at $781,538 in the last quarter. Insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 502.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 77,144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,903,000 after purchasing an additional 64,335 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of J.Jill by 28.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 140,762 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,473,000 after buying an additional 31,265 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the third quarter worth about $1,167,000. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of J.Jill by 39.3% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 422,463 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,422,000 after acquiring an additional 119,282 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in J.Jill by 76.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 14,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 6,202 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

J.Jill Company Profile

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.