Sell-Side Sentiment Leading Into Lululemon's Earnings

Lululemon Athletica inc. LULU is set to report Q3 results after the market close Wednesday. While long-term sell-side sentiment for the athletic apparel company varies, the Street is mostly cautious for the long term leading into the short-term catalysts:

• Cowen analyst Oliver Chen (Outperform) sees it as “prudent for investors to have some caution into 3Q print on Wed.,” citing high markdown levels and the possibility of slowed traffic in November.
• D.A. Davidson's Andrew Burns (Neutral) sees the company meeting expectations, compensating for warm weather and clearance markdowns with new store growth and continued brand momentum.
• Deutsche Bank’s Dave Weiner (Hold) has a cautious stance based on an analysis of Black Friday holiday sales, showing good traffic with high inventories and weak consumer spend.
• Wedbush analyst Morry Brown sees a 30 percent depreciation of the stock, putting the company in the territory for an easy share-price bump following an in line earnings report.

At last check, Lululemon shares were up 3.91 percent at $59.48.