Smithfield Trust Co Boosts Stake in Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU)

Smithfield Trust Co increased its position in shares of Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,506 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the quarter. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in Lululemon Athletica were worth $578,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Keybank National Association OH raised its holdings in Lululemon Athletica by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 124,572 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $47,638,000 after purchasing an additional 14,927 shares during the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in Lululemon Athletica during the fourth quarter worth $280,000. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new position in Lululemon Athletica during the fourth quarter worth $12,237,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Lululemon Athletica by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 719,413 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $275,111,000 after purchasing an additional 17,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System raised its holdings in Lululemon Athletica by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 36,808 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $14,076,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 85.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Lululemon Athletica

In related news, insider Nicole Neuburger sold 2,022 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.11, for a total value of $782,736.42. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,399,307.78. The trade was a 24.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Celeste Burgoyne sold 24,870 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,429 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,040,456.66. This trade represents a 66.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LULU has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Lululemon Athletica in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $380.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $430.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Lululemon Athletica in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $265.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $382.00 to $383.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $399.14.

Lululemon Athletica Trading Up 1.2 %

LULU stock opened at $349.53 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $384.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $331.65. Lululemon Athletica Inc. has a 12-month low of $226.01 and a 12-month high of $480.94. The company has a market cap of $42.57 billion, a PE ratio of 25.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.21.

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

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.