HighTower Advisors LLC Cuts Position in lululemon athletica inc. $LULU

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its lululemon stake by 29.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 10,149 shares and leaving it with 24,375 shares valued at about $5.1 million.
• lululemon reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $5.01 topping estimates and revenue of $3.64 billion also beating forecasts, though earnings were down from a year earlier.
• Analysts remain cautious: several firms cut price targets, and the consensus rating is still Hold with an average target price of $201.66, even as a CEO purchase and a founder board truce may help stabilize sentiment.

HighTower Advisors LLC cut its stake in lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU - Free Report) by 29.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,375 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 10,149 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in lululemon athletica were worth $5,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in lululemon athletica in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $429,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in lululemon athletica by 5.1% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,848 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Glenview Trust co boosted its stake in lululemon athletica by 39.9% in the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 996 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in lululemon athletica in the second quarter valued at approximately $508,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its stake in lululemon athletica by 10.7% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 112,632 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $26,759,000 after acquiring an additional 10,891 shares in the last quarter. 85.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

lululemon athletica Trading Up 0.2%

LULU opened at $131.33 on Friday. lululemon athletica inc. has a 12-month low of $116.63 and a 12-month high of $340.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $145.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $171.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.85 billion, a PE ratio of 9.87, a P/E/G ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.90.

lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 17th. The apparel retailer reported $5.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.23. lululemon athletica had a net margin of 14.22% and a return on equity of 34.82%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.14 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that lululemon athletica inc. will post 12.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting lululemon athletica

Here are the key news stories impacting lululemon athletica this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lululemon settled its proxy fight with founder Chip Wilson, adding two of his nominees to the board and reducing governance uncertainty as a new CEO prepares to take over. Lululemon Board Truce With Founder Resets Governance For CEO Transition
• Positive Sentiment: The truce may help stabilize investor confidence because it ends months of public conflict and creates an 18-month standstill with Wilson. Lululemon ends proxy battle with founder Chip Wilson
• Neutral Sentiment: Options data suggests LULU could swing sharply after the June 4 earnings report, signaling elevated event risk rather than a clear directional catalyst. Lululemon Earnings Could Swing Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Q1 earnings to decline, with soft North America demand and tariffs potentially pressuring margins despite strength in China, men’s, and digital channels. lululemon Pre-Q1 Earnings: Is it the Right Time to Buy the Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Preview coverage says Lululemon does not have the right setup for an earnings beat, reinforcing worries about near-term fundamentals. Earnings Preview: Lululemon (LULU) Q1 Earnings Expected to Decline

Insider Buying and Selling

In other lululemon athletica news, CEO Andre Maestrini bought 3,275 shares of lululemon athletica stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,217,892.02. This trade represents a 10.47% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Nicole Neuburger sold 622 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.00, for a total transaction of $100,142.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 19,156 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,084,116. This trade represents a 3.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LULU shares. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of lululemon athletica from $206.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of lululemon athletica from $210.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of lululemon athletica from $200.00 to $184.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. BTIG Research cut their target price on lululemon athletica from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on lululemon athletica from $189.00 to $176.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company 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 given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $201.66.

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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