Short Interest in J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Expands By 7.5%

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 406,500 shares, an increase of 7.5% from the December 15th total of 378,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 118,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days. Currently, 5.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

J.Jill Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JILL traded up $0.40 during trading on Monday, hitting $27.22. 81,200 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 97,478. The company has a market cap of $417.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $26.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. J.Jill has a 52-week low of $23.06 and a 52-week high of $40.61.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. J.Jill’s payout ratio is presently 9.89%.

Insider Activity at J.Jill

In other J.Jill news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Claire Spofford sold 6,601 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.75, for a total transaction of $189,778.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,812 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,652,095. This represents a 3.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 28,341 shares of company stock worth $781,538 over the last quarter. Insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JILL. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in J.Jill by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 480,056 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $16,788,000 after purchasing an additional 31,400 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in J.Jill by 502.3% during 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in J.Jill by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 140,762 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,473,000 after purchasing an additional 31,265 shares during the last quarter. Ghisallo Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 2nd quarter worth $3,147,000. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in J.Jill during the 3rd quarter worth $1,167,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company’s stock.

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.