Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) Shares Purchased by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) by 32.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,656 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 6,309 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Lululemon Athletica were worth $7,664,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lululemon Athletica during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lululemon Athletica in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 176.0% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 69 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Lululemon Athletica in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 85.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Lululemon Athletica

In other Lululemon Athletica news, CEO Calvin Mcdonald bought 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $260.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,040,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 89,922 shares in the company, valued at $23,379,720. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Lululemon Athletica Stock Performance

LULU stock opened at $255.20 on Thursday. Lululemon Athletica Inc. has a 1 year low of $226.01 and a 1 year high of $516.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.47, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $263.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $327.92.

Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 29th. The apparel retailer reported $3.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.93 by $0.22. Lululemon Athletica had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 42.59%. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.68 EPS. Lululemon Athletica’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Lululemon Athletica Inc. will post 14.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lululemon Athletica declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, June 5th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the apparel retailer to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LULU has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $291.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Lululemon Athletica from $300.00 to $270.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Lululemon Athletica from $420.00 to $384.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 6th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Lululemon Athletica from $420.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $263.00 to $261.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lululemon Athletica currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $354.94.

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.