J.C. Penney's return on equity and operating margin are both in negative territory. It has no long-term earnings growth forecast; it is not expected to be profitable this year, though analysts do predict some revenue growth. The company also does not offer a dividend. The number of J.C. Penney shares sold short, as of the most recent settlement date, represents about 40 percent of the total float. That was the highest level of short interest in the past year. It would take more than four days to close out all of the short positions. For the past three months, the consensus recommendation of the analysts surveyed by Thomson/First Call who follow the stock has been to hold shares. Yet the analysts' mean price target, or where they expect the stock to go, is more than 33 percent higher than the current share price. The share price is down more than 36 percent year to date, after hitting a multiyear low in the first week of February. It is currently below the 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Over the past six months, the stock has underperformed not only the competitors mentioned above, but also the broader markets.