KBC Group NV Reduces Position in Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU)

KBC Group NV decreased its holdings in Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) by 49.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,430 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 34,029 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Lululemon Athletica were worth $9,343,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 78.2% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 98 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Lululemon Athletica in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 61.5% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 105 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 127.5% during the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 116 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lululemon Athletica during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. 85.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lululemon Athletica Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LULU opened at $320.01 on Friday. Lululemon Athletica Inc. has a 1 year low of $226.01 and a 1 year high of $516.39. The company has a market capitalization of $39.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50-day moving average of $286.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $290.39.

Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The apparel retailer reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.93 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Lululemon Athletica had a return on equity of 42.59% and a net margin of 16.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.68 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lululemon Athletica Inc. will post 14.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on LULU shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $220.00 target price on shares of Lululemon Athletica in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $416.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $326.00 to $314.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Lululemon Athletica from $457.00 to $338.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $300.00 to $270.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lululemon Athletica news, insider Nicole Neuburger sold 486 shares of Lululemon Athletica stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.59, for a total transaction of $131,020.74. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,670,918.82. The trade was a 7.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Calvin Mcdonald bought 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $260.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,040,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 89,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,379,720. The trade was a 4.66 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lululemon Athletica Company Profile

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.