By Liz Moyer and Senad Karaahmetovic
Investing.com -- Lululemon Athletica Inc (NASDAQ:LULU) shares jumped after the athleisure apparel maker beat expectations for revenue and profit in the fourth quarter.
Revenue in the quarter rose 30%, to $2.8 billion and adjusted profit was $4.40 a share. Analysts expected LULU to report revenue of $2.7B on adjusted profit of $4.26B.
Shares of LULU are trading about 15% higher in pre-market Wednesday trading.
The company also said full-year revenue rose 30% to $8.1B and adjusted EPS for the year was $10.07. Analysts expected revenue of $8B and adjusted full-year earnings per share of $9.90.
CEO Calvin McDonald said the strong results were driven by LULU’s “innovative products, powerful guest experiences, and strategic market expansion."
The company forecast fiscal first-quarter net revenue in a range of $1.89B to $1.93B and earnings per share of $1.93 to $2.00. For fiscal 2023 full year it expects revenue to be in the range of $9.3B to $9.41B and earnings per share of $11.50 to $11.72. Both forecasts are better than expected.
Wells Fargo analysts hiked the price target on LULU stock to $425 per share and urged clients to "stay long."
"Momentum back in the model, overhangs being removed. Their holiday miss was likely the bottom. Rate of change on margins/inventory is back in bulls favor, top-line trends remain robust and management is gaining credibility with regard to the MIRROR strategic shift. Finally, valuation should begin to revert back to historical norms," analysts wrote in a note to clients.
Stifel analysts also raised the price target as they went to $460 per share. They believe LULU stock is a "core growth holding" and continue to view shares as undervalued.
"Bearish discourse around slowing growth and promotional risk to margin has been silenced, and we expect focus returns to global growth opportunities," they said.