Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC Decreases Stake in Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU)

Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC lowered its position in Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) by 15.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,331 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 627 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC’s holdings in Lululemon Athletica were worth $1,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LULU. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lululemon Athletica during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Bradley & Co. Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lululemon Athletica during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in Lululemon Athletica in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in Lululemon Athletica by 309.5% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 86 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Lululemon Athletica in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.20% of the company’s stock.

Lululemon Athletica Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:LULU opened at $365.61 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $44.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.40, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.19. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $386.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $329.03. Lululemon Athletica Inc. has a 12-month low of $226.01 and a 12-month high of $480.94.

Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The apparel retailer reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.69 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.36 billion. Lululemon Athletica had a return on equity of 42.16% and a net margin of 17.05%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.53 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Lululemon Athletica Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction of $782,736.42. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,399,307.78. This represents a 24.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Celeste Burgoyne sold 24,870 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.54, for a total value of $10,085,779.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,429 shares in the company, valued at $5,040,456.66. This trade represents a 66.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LULU has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $440.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $380.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC upgraded Lululemon Athletica from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $475.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $428.00 to $437.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $399.14.

Lululemon Athletica Company Profile

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.