J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

J.Jill, Inc. (NYSE:JILL) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 367,000 shares, a growth of 22.6% from the June 30th total of 299,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 164,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days. Currently, 5.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.Jill

In other news, CEO Claire Spofford sold 10,000 shares of J.Jill stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.76, for a total value of $337,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 204,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,919,483.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Investors Ltd. Towerbrook sold 1,300,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.00, for a total transaction of $40,300,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4,021,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $124,664,764. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Claire Spofford sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.76, for a total value of $337,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 204,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,919,483.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,324,842 shares of company stock valued at $41,167,103. 6.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.Jill

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CWM LLC bought a new stake in J.Jill during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the second quarter worth $81,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of J.Jill in the fourth quarter worth $155,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in J.Jill during the first quarter worth $201,000. 40.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JILL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of J.Jill in a report on Friday, July 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price for the company. Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on shares of J.Jill from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on J.Jill in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $44.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.50.

J.Jill Stock Performance

JILL traded down $0.81 on Tuesday, hitting $37.58. The company had a trading volume of 87,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 123,848. The stock has a market cap of $403.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.46 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $35.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.61. J.Jill has a 1-year low of $21.49 and a 1-year high of $40.61.

J.Jill (NYSE:JILL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 7th. The specialty retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $161.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.00 million. J.Jill had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 136.44%. Equities analysts predict that J.Jill will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.Jill Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 29th were given a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 29th. J.Jill’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.36%.

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.