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

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of 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 currently 3.0 days. Approximately 5.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Transactions at J.Jill

In other J.Jill news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.98, for a total value of $134,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 151,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,095,887.76. This trade represents a 3.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,773,745.52. This represents a 6.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,341 shares of company stock valued at $517,038. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JILL. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in J.Jill during the 2nd quarter valued at $81,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of J.Jill by 2.3% during the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 13,664 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Privium Fund Management UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of J.Jill during the second quarter worth about $1,097,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the 2nd quarter worth about $301,000. Finally, Anchor Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in J.Jill in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,020,000. 40.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.Jill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE JILL opened at $27.20 on Friday. J.Jill has a 1-year low of $23.06 and a 1-year high of $40.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $417.25 million, a P/E ratio of 9.61 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $26.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is 9.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on JILL shares. TD Cowen dropped their price target on J.Jill from $37.00 to $32.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.17.

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.