lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $170.00 to $200.00. The stock had previously closed at $207.87, but opened at $223.89. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a hold rating on the stock. lululemon athletica shares last traded at $222.2840, with a volume of 3,309,790 shares.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on LULU. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of lululemon athletica from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Dbs Bank dropped their price target on shares of lululemon athletica from $165.00 to $134.00 in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of lululemon athletica from $180.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of lululemon athletica from $223.00 to $185.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on lululemon athletica from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, lululemon athletica presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.19.

Insider Activity at lululemon athletica

In other news, insider Nicole Neuburger sold 615 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total transaction of $109,470.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,993 shares in the company, valued at $1,600,754. The trade was a 6.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Celeste Burgoyne sold 13,511 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.00, for a total transaction of $2,756,244.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,084,872. This trade represents a 71.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Key lululemon athletica News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Elliott Management has amassed a >$1 billion stake and is proposing a new CEO (Jane Nielsen), creating an activist-led turnaround catalyst that sent shares sharply higher on the initial reports. Elliott stake Reuters story
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: major outlets reported a roughly 7% jump after the Elliott news — showing investor appetite for activist-driven management change as a near-term re-rating event. 247WallStreet article
• Positive Sentiment: Company growth initiatives — lululemon announced a record international expansion plan (six new markets in 2026 via franchise partners), which supports longer‑term revenue diversification beyond a soft U.S. market. BusinessWire expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst moves are mixed: Jefferies raised its price target to $200 but kept a Hold — marginally supportive but not a bullish upgrade. Consensus still skews to Hold. Benzinga note on Jefferies
• Neutral Sentiment: Small-format retail news: a new Houston Highland Village store opened with an in‑store café concept — good for local engagement but unlikely to move shares materially. MSN store opening
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Celeste Burgoyne sold 13,511 shares (~$2.76M at ~$204), a large reduction in her stake — can be interpreted as profit‑taking or concern and may add downward pressure. InsiderTrades filing
• Negative Sentiment: Leadership and brand challenges: CEO Calvin McDonald is stepping down and multiple pieces highlight U.S. brand softness, tariff pressure and an underperforming domestic business — these underlying operational issues explain why activist involvement emerged and why uncertainty could weigh on shares until a credible new CEO is installed. The Motley Fool on CEO change

Institutional Investors Weigh In On lululemon athletica

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of lululemon athletica by 81.9% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 151 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp lifted its position in lululemon athletica by 187.5% in the 3rd quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 161 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of lululemon athletica during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of lululemon athletica by 96.8% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 124 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in shares of lululemon athletica during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. 85.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

lululemon athletica Stock Down 2.6%

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $178.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $198.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 13.28 and a beta of 1.01.

lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The apparel retailer reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.22 by $0.37. lululemon athletica had a return on equity of 39.78% and a net margin of 15.72%.The firm had revenue of $2.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.53 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. lululemon athletica has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.920-13.020 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 4.660-4.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that lululemon athletica inc. will post 14.36 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.