J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 378,000 shares, a growth of 6.0% from the November 30th total of 356,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 127,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Approximately 5.4% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on J.Jill from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on J.Jill from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $38.17.

Insider Activity at J.Jill

In related news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $192,359.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,188 shares in the company, valued at $2,773,745.52. This trade represents a 6.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.98, for a total value 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 $4,095,887.76. The trade was a 3.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,341 shares of company stock valued at $517,038 over the last three months. 6.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JILL. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in J.Jill during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in J.Jill in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in J.Jill by 58.4% during the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 6,272 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 2,312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in J.Jill in the third quarter valued at $256,000. 40.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.Jill Trading Up 3.6 %

NYSE JILL opened at $27.62 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $423.69 million, a P/E ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 0.64. J.Jill has a 52-week low of $23.06 and a 52-week high of $40.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $26.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.52.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.89%.

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.