Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU)

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. reduced its investment in lululemon athletica by 5.5%, now holding 44,066 shares valued at approximately $12.47 million after selling 2,572 shares.
• Several hedge funds have increased their stakes in lululemon, with Narwhal Capital Management growing its position by 262.7% during the first quarter.
• Despite a dip in stock price to $189.43, lululemon reported earnings per share of $2.60 for the quarter, meeting analyst expectations, along with a 7.3% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. reduced its stake in lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU - Free Report) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,066 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 2,572 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s holdings in lululemon athletica were worth $12,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LULU. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of lululemon athletica during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in lululemon athletica by 506.3% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 97 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of lululemon athletica in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of lululemon athletica in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in shares of lululemon athletica by 154.9% in the 1st quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 130 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.20% of the company's stock.

lululemon athletica Stock Performance

lululemon athletica stock traded down $2.22 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $187.21. 770,669 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,596,678. The firm has a market cap of $22.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $236.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $292.36. lululemon athletica inc. has a twelve month low of $186.52 and a twelve month high of $423.32.

lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 5th. The apparel retailer reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.60. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.36 billion. lululemon athletica had a return on equity of 43.48% and a net margin of 16.82%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that lululemon athletica inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at lululemon athletica

In related news, CEO Calvin Mcdonald sold 27,049 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.69, for a total value of $6,375,178.81. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 110,564 shares in the company, valued at $26,058,829.16. This trade represents a 19.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LULU has been the subject of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of lululemon athletica from $302.00 to $250.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 6th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on lululemon athletica from $340.00 to $260.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. TD Securities increased their target price on lululemon athletica from $370.00 to $373.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Evercore ISI raised their target price on lululemon athletica from $320.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, CICC Research reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $280.49 price target on shares of lululemon athletica in a research note on Monday, June 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.15.

About lululemon athletica

Lululemon Athletica Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, distributes, and retails athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories under the lululemon brand for women and men. It offers pants, shorts, tops, and jackets for healthy lifestyle, such as yoga, running, training, and other activities. It also provides fitness-inspired accessories.