Lululemon Athletica Inc LULU shares are trading higher by 3.28% to $271.18 during Friday’s session. Shares of apparel-related companies are trading higher after the dockworkers reached a deal to suspend their strike after they reached a tentative agreement.
What Happened: Lululemon stock rose on Friday following the resolution of the port strike along the East and Gulf coasts, which ended after a tentative agreement was reached between dockworkers and port operators.
The labor dispute, which had threatened to disrupt supply chains ahead of the critical holiday season, was quickly resolved, easing fears of significant delays in inventory shipments for retailers like Lululemon.
The agreement, which includes a 62% wage increase for dockworkers over six years and improved working conditions, addresses key demands of the International Longshoremen’s Association.
The strike, which lasted only three days, averted a prolonged disruption that would have caused logistical challenges for companies reliant on steady import flows, especially as they gear up for the busy holiday period.
What Else: For Lululemon, which sources a substantial portion of its products from overseas manufacturers, any disruption in the port operations could have caused shipment delays, potentially resulting in lower inventory levels during the all-important fourth quarter. The quick resolution of the strike now ensures that Lululemon, and other retailers, can keep their supply chains running smoothly as consumer demand peaks.
The news also defused a political risk for the current administration, which had been under pressure to avoid a prolonged labor conflict that could have exacerbated inflationary pressures. Dockworkers are set to return to work immediately, with port operations expected to return to normal by the end of the week.
How To Buy LULU Stock
By now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Lululemon Athletica – be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company.
Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy ‘fractional shares,' which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share. For example, some stock, like Berkshire Hathaway, can cost thousands of dollars to own just one share. However, if you only want to invest a fraction of that, brokerages will allow you to do so.
In the the case of Lululemon Athletica, which is trading at $270.63 as of publishing time, $100 would buy you 0.37 shares of stock.
If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform, or a broker who will allow you to ‘go short' a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option, or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way it allows you to profit off of the share price decline.
According to data from Benzinga Pro, LULU has a 52-week high of $516.37 and a 52-week low of $226.19.
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