On Monday, BofA Securities analyst Lorraine Hutchinson increased the price target for Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) shares to $480 from the previous $420 while maintaining a Buy rating on the stock.
This aligns with InvestingPro data showing the company trading at a P/E ratio of 28.4 with impressive gross profit margins of 58.9%. Hutchinson's optimism follows a successful holiday season for the athletic apparel company, which surpassed expectations.
The positive adjustment came after a meeting with Howard Tubin, Head of Investor Relations at Lululemon, during the ICR conference in Orlando. Lululemon's holiday performance was notably strong across various product categories, regions, and sales channels. The company's robust performance is reflected in its 10.8% revenue growth over the last twelve months, according to InvestingPro data.
Outerwear, second-layer clothing, and bags were among the top-performing categories. Additionally, recent collaborations with Disney (NYSE:DIS) and the National Hockey League (NHL) were highlighted as contributing factors to Lululemon's successful quarter, attracting new customers to the brand.
The analyst also anticipates continued strength in the Chinese market, bolstered by successful new store openings and sustained comparable store sales growth. An earlier Chinese New Year is expected to further aid fourth-quarter sales. In light of these developments, Hutchinson has revised the fourth-quarter earnings per share (EPS) estimate upwards by 4%, setting it at $5.84 to reflect the stronger sales update and improved gross margin.
The new price objective of $480 represents an 18 times enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EV/EBITDA) multiple, increased from the previous 16 times. This change is attributed to faster than anticipated progress in the sales turnaround and upwardly revised estimates.
Looking ahead, the analyst expects the introduction of new products in the first half of 2025 to further accelerate sales growth, reinforcing the Buy rating on Lululemon's stock.
In other recent news, Lululemon Athletica Inc. has raised its revenue and earnings expectations for the fourth quarter. The athletic apparel company now anticipates net revenue to be between $3.56 billion and $3.58 billion, marking an 11% to 12% increase year-over-year.
Additionally, adjusted earnings per share (EPS) are expected to be between $5.81 to $5.85, an increase from the previous forecast of $5.56 to $5.64. Analysts from Stifel and Truist Securities have maintained their Buy ratings on Lululemon, with Stifel setting a price target of $438 and Truist setting theirs at $460. Needham analysts have upgraded Lululemon stock from Hold to Buy, setting a price target of $475, citing a strong recovery of demand.
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