Investopedia: Lululemon's Growth Moots The Valuation

Traditional value investors probably didn't like Lululemon Athletica (Nasdaq:LULU) before Friday's earnings report, and they are not likely to appreciate it any more afterward. So, for those who think the secret to successful stockpicking is in targeting single-digit EV/EBITDA ratios, sub-1.0 PEG ratios, or similar formulas, Lululemon just is not going to work for them. 

For growth investors, though, this is a name that just keeps delivering the goods. There will be a day of reckoning, a day when the growth disappoints and investors suddenly realize that the low-hanging fruit has been plucked, but that day isn't today and it does not look like it's going to be tomorrow either. In the meantime, aggressive investors may continue to benefit from one of the most dynamic stories in retail.







A Strong Start to the Fiscal Year
Lululemon delivered 35% revenue in the fiscal first quarter, with comp-store sales up 16% in constant dollar terms. Few retailers are approaching this sort of growth these days. That said, it looks like maybe Wall Street has caught up to the name a bit - the company did surpass the average analyst estimate, but not by much and the company definitely did not beat the highest end of the range.


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Lululemon Masters The Upward-Profits Pose

I am not aware of a "ring the cash register" pose in yoga, but if there is one, I have no doubt that Lululemon Athletica (Nasdaq:LULU) has mastered it. Combining a healthy living and pro-environment shtick with truly well-designed, well-crafted and well-marketed apparel, Lululemon is carving out a very successful niche in women's athletic apparel market and driving value-centered investors to distraction. 

A Limber Third Quarter
It is a real challenge to find a metric in which Lululemon did not excel in its fiscal third quarter. Revenue jumped almost 56% to $176 million, leaving the highest published estimate in the dust. Likewise, comp-store sales growth of 29% was outstanding and the company produced an eye-popping amount of productivity (nearly $2,000 in sales per gross square foot of selling space, on an annualized basis). Sure, that's less than what, say, Tiffany (NYSE:TIF) does, but they sell diamonds! Compared to other clothing retailers, even solid performers like Urban Outfitters (Nasdaq:URBN) or Limited's (NYSE:LTD) Victoria's Secret cannot come close to that level of performance. 


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Crocs Back From The Dead

There was no shortage of people lining up to cheer the demise of Crocs (Nasdaq:CROX) as the stock plunged from an improbable high near $70 to under $2 in only about one year. This maker of distinctive (some would say ugly) footwear defied gravity and the howls of value-oriented commentators on its way up and there was almost a sense of palpable glee when the bubble burst. 

Well, Crocs-haters may want to avert their eyes because Crocs is not dead. In fact, business seems to be pretty healthy, and that has fueled a rebound for the stock back into the teens. In fact, Crocs' stock has pretty much trounced the field for the past year. The past year has been a very strong one for footwear companies, but Crocs has more than doubled the one-year performance of the likes of Nike (NYSE:NKE), Timberland (NYSE:TBL), Skechers (NYSE:SKX) and K-Swiss (Nasdaq:KSWS).

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