Analysts Set lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) PT at $203.80

Shares of lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty-three brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twenty-eight have issued a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $203.8032.

LULU has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. 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 report on Wednesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on lululemon athletica from $170.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on lululemon athletica from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays decreased their target price on lululemon athletica from $203.00 to $161.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of lululemon athletica from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st.

Key Stories Impacting lululemon athletica

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wilson has said he remains willing to reach an agreement, which leaves the door open for a negotiated resolution that could reduce governance overhang. Lululemon founder Wilson ready to reach agreement amid proxy battle
• Neutral Sentiment: Lululemon is emphasizing that its refreshed board has the expertise to support its next phase of growth and improve shareholder value, signaling confidence in management’s strategy. lululemon Highlights Strength of its Refreshed Board
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and valuation watchers continue to trim price targets only modestly, but the stock remains weighed down by a sharp pullback and softer operating trend expectations. How The lululemon (LULU) Investment Story Is Shifting With Leadership Change And Softer Trends
• Negative Sentiment: The proxy fight is creating uncertainty around leadership, strategy, and board control, which can pressure the stock until investors get clearer visibility on the outcome. Lululemon takes battle with Chip Wilson public
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary also points to softer trends and a sharply lower share price, reinforcing concerns that the turnaround may take longer than hoped. Down Over 40% This Year, Is Lululemon Stock a Bargain Buy or a Value Trap?

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Andre Maestrini acquired 3,275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,217,892.02. This trade represents a 10.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Nicole Neuburger sold 622 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.00, for a total transaction of $100,142.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 19,156 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,084,116. This trade represents a 3.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.54% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of lululemon athletica

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LULU. Bull Harbor Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of lululemon athletica during the 1st quarter valued at about $758,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of lululemon athletica by 43.3% in the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 12,953 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,983,000 after buying an additional 3,913 shares during the last quarter. South Dakota Investment Council boosted its holdings in shares of lululemon athletica by 36.8% in the first quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 3,720 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $570,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in lululemon athletica by 32.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 670,655 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $102,677,000 after buying an additional 165,790 shares during the period. Finally, Gould Capital LLC bought a new stake in lululemon athletica during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 85.20% of the company’s stock.

lululemon athletica Stock Performance

Shares of lululemon athletica stock opened at $120.26 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $174.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.52 billion, a PE ratio of 9.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.90. lululemon athletica has a 52-week low of $118.38 and a 52-week high of $340.25.

lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The apparel retailer reported $5.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.78 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.59 billion. lululemon athletica had a net margin of 14.22% and a return on equity of 34.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that lululemon athletica will post 12.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

lululemon athletica Company Profile

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.