AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Invests $5.67 Million in lululemon athletica inc. $LULU

Key Points

• AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in lululemon athletica during the fourth quarter, acquiring 27,270 shares worth about $5.67 million.
• lululemon reported Q1 earnings of $5.01 per share, beating estimates, on revenue of $3.64 billion, also ahead of expectations. However, revenue was flat year over year and analysts still expect full-year EPS of 12.3.
• Insider buying and cautious analyst sentiment both stood out: a director and the CEO recently purchased shares, while multiple firms trimmed price targets and the stock carries a “Hold” consensus with an average target of $203.80.

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 27,270 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,667,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LULU. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in lululemon athletica during the 4th quarter valued at $429,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of lululemon athletica by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,848 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Glenview Trust co lifted its position in shares of lululemon athletica by 39.9% in the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 996 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of lululemon athletica in the 2nd quarter worth about $508,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of lululemon athletica by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 112,632 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $26,759,000 after acquiring an additional 10,891 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.20% of the company's stock.

lululemon athletica Stock Performance

Shares of lululemon athletica stock opened at $119.14 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.38 billion, a PE ratio of 8.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.90. lululemon athletica inc. has a 52-week low of $119.06 and a 52-week high of $340.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.54.

lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The apparel retailer reported $5.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.59 billion. lululemon athletica had a net margin of 14.22% and a return on equity of 34.82%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that lululemon athletica inc. will post 12.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Charles V. Bergh acquired 6,090 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $164.20 per share, with a total value of $999,978.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $999,978. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Andre Maestrini acquired 3,275 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $151.02 per share, with a total value of $494,590.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,551 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,217,892.02. The trade was a 10.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on lululemon athletica from $190.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group cut their price target on lululemon athletica from $189.00 to $176.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on lululemon athletica from $196.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on lululemon athletica from $206.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, BTIG Research cut their price target on lululemon athletica from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, twenty-eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $203.80.

About lululemon athletica

lululemon athletica inc. is a design-focused athletic apparel company known for performance-oriented apparel, footwear and accessories. The company's product portfolio centers on technical apparel for yoga, running, training and everyday active lifestyle use and includes tops, bottoms, outerwear, underwear, bags and a growing footwear assortment. lululemon emphasizes fabric science and product innovation, marketing garments that blend performance features with lifestyle styling.

Products are developed in-house and produced through a network of third-party manufacturers.

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