VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) today announced that, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022, the Company now expects that net revenue will be in the range of $2.660 billion to $2.700 billion, representing a 25%-27% increase compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. The previous guidance range was $2.605 billion to $2.655 billion.
Diluted earnings per share are now expected to be in the range of $4.22 to $4.27 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to the Company’s previous guidance range of $4.20 to $4.30.
The Company also said it now expects gross margin for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 to decline 90-110 basis points compared to its previous expectation for an increase of 10-20 basis points. However, the Company now expects that it will further leverage selling, general and administrative expenses 100-120 basis points compared to its previous expectation of 30-50 basis points of leverage.
The revised guidance for the fourth quarter continues to assume an effective tax rate of approximately 28.5%.
Calvin McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased with our continued revenue growth and momentum in the business, as our teams navigate a dynamic macro-backdrop. In Q4, traffic remains strong across both physical and digital channels, and we anticipate delivering another quarter of solid earnings growth consistent with our updated EPS forecast. 2022 has been a strong year for lululemon, and we remain focused on the significant opportunities ahead as we continue to deliver on our Power of Three x2 growth plan.”
Members of the management team will be meeting with analysts and investors at the ICR Conference on January 9-11, 202
