Candriam S.C.A. Sells 16,424 Shares of Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU)

Candriam S.C.A. reduced its holdings in Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) by 15.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 88,035 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 16,424 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Lululemon Athletica were worth $33,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new position in Lululemon Athletica during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $93,476,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Lululemon Athletica by 136.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 529,295 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $143,624,000 after acquiring an additional 305,302 shares during the last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in Lululemon Athletica during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $81,405,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in Lululemon Athletica by 248.5% during the 4th quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 323,031 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $123,530,000 after acquiring an additional 230,349 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its position in Lululemon Athletica by 151.0% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 367,584 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $99,744,000 after acquiring an additional 221,112 shares during the last quarter. 85.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LULU shares. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $380.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $430.00 price objective (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Lululemon Athletica in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. 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 report on Friday, January 10th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Lululemon Athletica in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $265.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $399.14.

Lululemon Athletica Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LULU opened at $349.53 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.24, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $384.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $331.65. Lululemon Athletica Inc. has a 12-month low of $226.01 and a 12-month high of $480.94.

Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.53 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lululemon Athletica Inc. will post 14.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lululemon Athletica

In other news, insider Nicole Neuburger sold 2,022 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.11, for a total value of $782,736.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,198 shares in the company, valued at $2,399,307.78. The trade was a 24.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Celeste Burgoyne sold 24,870 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,040,456.66. This 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.

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.