Short Interest in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Expands By 22.6%

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 367,000 shares, a growth of 22.6% from the June 30th total of 299,400 shares. Approximately 5.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 164,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JILL traded down $0.81 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $37.58. The company had a trading volume of 87,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 123,848. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.00. J.Jill has a one year low of $21.49 and a one year high of $40.61. The firm has a market cap of $403.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.22 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.71.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 7th. The specialty retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $161.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.00 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 136.44%. On average, research analysts predict that J.Jill will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 29th were issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 29th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.36%.

Insider Activity at J.Jill

In other J.Jill news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 13,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.87, for a total transaction of $483,886.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 181,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,509,364.77. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 1,352 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.74, for a total value of $45,616.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,663,354.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Claire Spofford sold 13,490 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.87, for a total transaction of $483,886.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 181,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,509,364.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,324,842 shares of company stock valued at $41,167,103. 6.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JILL. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in J.Jill by 2,143.3% in the 1st quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 134,600 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,303,000 after purchasing an additional 128,600 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of J.Jill by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 146,008 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,764,000 after acquiring an additional 30,072 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,035,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in J.Jill during the 4th quarter worth $703,000. Finally, Verdad Advisers LP acquired a new position in J.Jill in the 4th quarter worth about $516,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on shares of J.Jill from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of J.Jill in a research report on Friday, July 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $44.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, J.Jill currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.50.

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.