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 December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 406,500 shares, a growth of 7.5% from the December 15th total of 378,000 shares. Approximately 5.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 118,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

J.Jill Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE JILL traded up $0.40 on Monday, reaching $27.22. 81,200 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 97,478. 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 fifty day moving average price of $26.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.87. The company has a market cap of $417.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.69. J.Jill has a 12 month low of $23.06 and a 12 month high of $40.61.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.Jill

In other news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.57, for a total value of $132,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 132,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,512,686.85. The trade was a 3.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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. Insiders sold 28,341 shares of company stock worth $781,538 in the last quarter. 6.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JILL. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,887 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 58.4% in the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 6,272 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $155,000 after acquiring an additional 2,312 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of J.Jill in the 3rd quarter worth $256,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in J.Jill by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 10,540 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 1,920 shares during the last quarter. 40.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.