Bear of the Day: lululemon athletica (LULU)

Lululemon Athletica Inc. LULU designs, manufactures, and distributes athletic apparel and accessories for women, men, and female youth. Analysts have taken a bearish stance on the company’s earnings outlook, pushing it to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchThe company also resides in the Zacks Apparel – Textile industry, which is currently ranked in the bottom 12% of all Zacks industries. Let‘s take a closer look at what’s been impacting the company.Lulu Shares PlungeLULU shares have been stuck in a deep bearish trend for some time now, down nearly 50% just over the last year. Quarterly results that have revealed slowing growth have been driving the plunge, with shares seeing negative post-earnings reactions following each of the last three releases.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchNotably, weakening demand in its Americas region has been a big thorn in the side of the company, with comparable store sales falling 4% year-over-year throughout the latest period. International momentum has remained, though, with those comparable sales soaring 15% year-over-year.Calvin McDonald, CEO, acknowledged the performance disparity, stating –"While we continued to see positive momentum overall in our international regions in the second quarter, we are disappointed with our U.S. business results and aspects of our product execution. We have closely assessed the drivers of our underperformance and are continuing to take the necessary actions to strengthen our merchandise mix and accelerate our business. We feel confident in the opportunity ahead and plans we have in place to drive long-term growth."As shown below, the company’s sales growth rates were fantastic over recent years before tapering off, with the market not appreciating the growth cooldown. Please note that the chart below tracks the YoY % change in sales, not actual sales numbers.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchBottom LineNegative earnings estimate revisions, stemming from a challenging demand environment, paint a challenging picture for the company’s shares in the near term.Lululemon Athletica LULU is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), indicating that analysts have taken a bearish stance on the company’s earnings outlook.For those seeking strong stocks, the best idea would be to focus on stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) – these stocks sport a notably stronger earnings outlook paired with the potential to deliver explosive gains in the near term.5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report lululemon athletica inc. (LULU): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks