Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) Shares Purchased by Ellsworth Advisors LLC

Ellsworth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,015 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Lululemon Athletica accounts for approximately 1.8% of Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lululemon Athletica were worth $5,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 573 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP grew its position in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 251 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 809 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 933 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $360,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. 85.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LULU has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $450.00 to $425.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $408.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $553.00 to $515.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Lululemon Athletica from $400.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Lululemon Athletica from $520.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and twenty-four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $493.66.

Lululemon Athletica Stock Up 0.3 %

LULU stock traded up $1.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $390.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,699,144 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,573,145. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $458.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $441.95. Lululemon Athletica Inc. has a 1 year low of $326.93 and a 1 year high of $516.39. The stock has a market cap of $49.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.99, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.33.

Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The apparel retailer reported $5.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.00 by $0.29. Lululemon Athletica had a return on equity of 44.41% and a net margin of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.40 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lululemon Athletica Inc. will post 14.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lululemon Athletica declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, December 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the apparel retailer to purchase up to 1.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Lululemon Athletica

In related news, Director Martha A. M. Morfitt acquired 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $389.29 per share, for a total transaction of $272,503.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $194,645. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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 operates in two segments, Company-Operated Stores and Direct to Consumer. The company offers pants, shorts, tops, and jackets for healthy lifestyle, such as yoga, running, training, and other activities.