J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Short Interest Up 7.5% in January

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 406,500 shares, an increase of 7.5% from the December 31st total of 378,000 shares. Approximately 5.8% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 118,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Insider Activity at J.Jill

In related news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $192,359.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 97,188 shares in the company, valued at $2,773,745.52. This represents a 6.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Claire Spofford sold 6,601 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.75, for a total value of $189,778.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 161,812 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,652,095. The trade was a 3.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 28,341 shares of company stock worth $781,538 in the last quarter. 6.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of J.Jill

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in J.Jill during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of J.Jill by 196.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 1,887 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in shares of J.Jill by 58.4% during 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 during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in J.Jill by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,079 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $196,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in J.Jill in the 3rd quarter valued at about $256,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.71% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

J.Jill Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE:JILL traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $25.32. 70,777 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 82,240. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $388.41 million, a PE ratio of 8.95 and a beta of 0.69. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $27.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.07. J.Jill has a one year low of $23.66 and a one year high of $40.61.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 11th. The specialty retailer reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.09. J.Jill had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 71.30%. Equities analysts predict that J.Jill will post 3.36 earnings per share for the current year.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. J.Jill's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.