Alliancebernstein L.P. Cuts Holdings in lululemon athletica inc. $LULU

Alliancebernstein L.P. lessened its position in shares of lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) by 62.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,367,638 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 2,267,751 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 1.15% of lululemon athletica worth $243,344,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of lululemon athletica during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $217,344,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of lululemon athletica by 3.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,782,917 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,452,394,000 after acquiring an additional 521,915 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of lululemon athletica by 28.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,200,552 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $391,544,000 after acquiring an additional 490,127 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of lululemon athletica by 2,598.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 475,957 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $84,687,000 after acquiring an additional 458,322 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of lululemon athletica by 321.2% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 497,689 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $88,554,000 after acquiring an additional 379,536 shares during the period. 85.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LULU. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of lululemon athletica from $200.00 to $184.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on lululemon athletica from $174.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of lululemon athletica from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of lululemon athletica in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of lululemon athletica from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, thirty have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $223.40.

lululemon athletica Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of LULU stock opened at $157.78 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $18.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.93, a P/E/G ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 1.00. lululemon athletica inc. has a fifty-two week low of $156.64 and a fifty-two week high of $348.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $182.23.

lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The apparel retailer reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.22 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.48 billion. lululemon athletica had a net margin of 15.72% and a return on equity of 39.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.53 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that lululemon athletica inc. will post 14.36 earnings per share for the current year.

lululemon athletica News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Product and brand strength highlighted in lifestyle coverage supports demand resilience for lululemon’s core apparel and technical leggings, reinforcing the company’s premium positioning. I work out daily—Lululemon, Brooks, Vuori and more keep me cool and comfortable while in motion
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage that includes LULU among “cash-producing” stocks underscores the company’s ability to generate cash, a plus for flexibility on buybacks, investment or weathering slower comps. 3 Cash-Producing Stocks to Research Further
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly outlook and estimate roundups (Wall Street metrics for Q4/FY) provide detail investors will watch for signs of margin recovery, wholesale trends and Outerknown/men’s/growth initiatives; these are informational but could move the stock when compared to company guidance. Unveiling Lululemon (LULU) Q4 Outlook: Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Founder Chip Wilson publicly urged CEO candidates to beware an “unfit” board and called for board refreshment, escalating governance concerns during the CEO search; as a large shareholder, his comments raise investor uncertainty about leadership, strategy continuity and potential proxy tensions. Chip Wilson to lululemon CEO Candidates: Beware a Board Unfit to Support Visionary Leadership
• Negative Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group assigned a Market Perform rating, which signals tepid near-term expectations from a sell-side perspective and can weigh on sentiment until clearer evidence of top-line acceleration or margin improvement appears. lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) Earns Market Perform Rating from Telsey Advisory Group

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Celeste Burgoyne sold 13,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total value of $2,756,244.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,872. This represents a 71.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

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.