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

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant 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. Currently, 5.8% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 118,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $31.00 price target on shares of J.Jill in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $38.17.

J.Jill Stock Performance

JILL traded up $0.40 during trading on Friday, hitting $27.22. The company's stock had a trading volume of 81,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 97,478. J.Jill has a one year low of $23.06 and a one year high of $40.61. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $26.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $28.92. 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 firm has a market cap of $417.60 million, a PE ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 0.69.

J.Jill Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend payout ratio is 9.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.Jill news, CFO Mark W. Webb sold 6,740 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Claire Spofford sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.57, for a total value of $132,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 132,205 shares in the company, valued at $3,512,686.85. This trade represents a 3.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 28,341 shares of company stock valued at $781,538. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.Jill

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of J.Jill in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,887 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 2,312 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in J.Jill by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,676 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd raised its position in shares of J.Jill by 40.8% during the second quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 8,926 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 2,585 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.71% of the company's stock.

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.

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