Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems decreased its holdings in Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,903 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 109 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Lululemon Athletica were worth $3,022,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 74,856.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 895,726 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $243,055,000 after acquiring an additional 894,531 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lululemon Athletica in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $93,476,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Lululemon Athletica by 136.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 529,295 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $143,624,000 after purchasing an additional 305,302 shares during the last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Lululemon Athletica during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $81,405,000. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Lululemon Athletica during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $79,503,000. 85.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lululemon Athletica Stock Down 1.9 %

Lululemon Athletica stock opened at $358.97 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $388.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $324.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.92, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.19. Lululemon Athletica Inc. has a 52-week low of $226.01 and a 52-week high of $480.94.

Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The apparel retailer reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.69 by $0.18. Lululemon Athletica had a net margin of 17.05% and a return on equity of 42.16%. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.53 EPS. Lululemon Athletica’s revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lululemon Athletica Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on LULU. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Lululemon Athletica from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $360.00 to $460.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Securities lifted their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $382.00 to $383.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $428.00 to $437.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $350.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Lululemon Athletica in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $399.14.

Insider Activity at Lululemon Athletica

In other Lululemon Athletica news, insider Nicole Neuburger sold 2,022 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.11, for a total value of $782,736.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,198 shares in the company, valued at $2,399,307.78. This represents a 24.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Celeste Burgoyne sold 24,870 shares of Lululemon Athletica stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.54, for a total value of $10,085,779.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,040,456.66. This represents a 66.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

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.