Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Increases Position in Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU - Free Report) by 54.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,072 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 15,973 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Lululemon Athletica were worth $17,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Paladin Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Lululemon Athletica during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lululemon Athletica by 127.5% in the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 116 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 110.1% during the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 145 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 402.1% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 236 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, Avondale Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Lululemon Athletica in the third quarter worth $68,000. 85.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lululemon Athletica Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Lululemon Athletica stock traded up $2.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $373.70. 1,340,496 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,655,744. The firm has a market cap of $45.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.18. Lululemon Athletica Inc. has a 1 year low of $226.01 and a 1 year high of $491.30. The stock's fifty day moving average is $361.31 and its 200 day moving average is $304.04.

Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.53 EPS. The business's revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Lululemon Athletica Inc. will post 14.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lululemon Athletica

In other Lululemon Athletica news, insider Celeste Burgoyne sold 24,870 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.54, for a total value of $10,085,779.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,429 shares in the company, valued at $5,040,456.66. This trade represents a 66.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Nicole Neuburger sold 2,022 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 6,198 shares in the company, valued at $2,399,307.78. This trade represents a 24.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on LULU. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Lululemon Athletica from $430.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $430.00 price objective (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Lululemon Athletica in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Lululemon Athletica from $428.00 to $437.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Lululemon Athletica from $414.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised shares of Lululemon Athletica from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $475.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $390.33.

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.