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LULU vs. RL: lululemon athletica vs. Ralph Lauren Stock Comparison

How do lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL) are both classified in the Apparel, Accessories & Luxury Goods sub-industry within the broader Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL)
Profile ItemLULURL
Namelululemon athletica inc.Ralph Lauren Corp. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionCanadaUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer Discretionary
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Durables & ApparelConsumer Durables & Apparel
GICS IndustryTextiles, Apparel & Luxury GoodsTextiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods
GICS Sub-IndustryApparel, Accessories & Luxury GoodsApparel, Accessories & Luxury Goods
Market Capitalization12.83 billion USD22.26 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJuly 27, 2007June 12, 1997
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LULU
RL
GSPC
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL)
MetricLULURL
Total Return (1Y)-32.13%24.13%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-34.79%52.81%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-24.85%27.77%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LULU
RL
GSPC
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL)
MetricLULURL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)45.85%36.24%
Beta (5Y)0.811.28
Max Drawdown (5Y)-82.03%-36.51%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.00M607.17K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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LULU and RL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL)
MetricLULURL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.790.55
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-1.020.87

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both lululemon athletica (LULU) at 30.90% and Ralph Lauren (RL) at 40.36% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

30.90%

Max
44.27%
LULU
30.90%
Q3
22.94%
Median
12.36%
Q1
5.76%
Min
-12.76%

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

40.36%

Max
44.27%
RL
40.36%
Q3
22.94%
Median
12.36%
Q1
5.76%
Min
-12.76%
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both lululemon athletica (LULU) at 12.78% and Ralph Lauren (RL) at 12.56% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

12.78%

Max
19.00%
LULU
12.78%
Q3
9.42%
Median
5.93%
Q1
2.80%
Min
-7.09%

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

12.56%

Max
19.00%
RL
12.56%
Q3
9.42%
Median
5.93%
Q1
2.80%
Min
-7.09%
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both lululemon athletica (LULU) at 13.21% and Ralph Lauren (RL) at 14.10% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

13.21%

Max
28.97%
Q3
14.34%
LULU
13.21%
Median
8.77%
Q1
4.05%
Min
-7.88%

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

14.10%

Max
28.97%
Q3
14.34%
RL
14.10%
Median
8.77%
Q1
4.05%
Min
-7.88%
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL)
MetricLULURL
ROE (TTM)30.90%40.36%
ROA (TTM)14.40%11.52%
Net Margin (TTM)12.78%12.56%
Operating Margin (TTM)13.21%14.10%
Gross Margin (TTM)54.90%70.87%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Ralph Lauren (RL) at 14.63% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while lululemon athletica (LULU) at 4.86% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for RL.

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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Ralph Lauren (RL) at 30.15% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while lululemon athletica (LULU) at -9.43% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for RL.

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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL)
MetricLULURL
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.86%14.63%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.03%7.99%
EPS Growth (YoY)-9.43%30.15%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)25.68%25.85%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both lululemon athletica (LULU) at 2.19 and Ralph Lauren (RL) at 1.97 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

2.19

Max
5.48
Q3
3.70
LULU
2.19
Median
2.10
Q1
1.64
Min
0.75

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

1.97

Max
5.48
Q3
3.70
Median
2.10
RL
1.97
Q1
1.64
Min
0.75
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both lululemon athletica (LULU) at 0.45 and Ralph Lauren (RL) at 1.10 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

0.45

Max
2.46
Q3
1.19
LULU
0.45
Median
0.45
Q1
0.23
Min
0.00

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

1.10

Max
2.46
Q3
1.19
RL
1.10
Median
0.45
Q1
0.23
Min
0.00
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL)
MetricLULURL
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.191.97
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.451.10
Net Debt / EBITDA0.320.73

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

lululemon athletica (LULU) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Ralph Lauren (RL) reports a yield of 1.00%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

0.00%

Max
5.10%
Q3
2.20%
Median
0.77%
LULU
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

1.00%

Max
5.10%
Q3
2.20%
RL
1.00%
Median
0.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

lululemon athletica (LULU) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Ralph Lauren (RL) reports a payout of 21.96%, ranking against industry peers normally.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

0.00%

Max
96.30%
Q3
39.57%
Median
11.11%
LULU
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

21.96%

Max
96.30%
Q3
39.57%
RL
21.96%
Median
11.11%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL)
MetricLULURL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%1.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%21.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

lululemon athletica (LULU) at 9.12 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Ralph Lauren (RL) at 21.62 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for LULU, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

9.12

Max
40.20
Q3
25.33
Median
17.52
Q1
14.50
LULU
9.12
Min
5.29

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

21.62

Max
40.20
Q3
25.33
RL
21.62
Median
17.52
Q1
14.50
Min
5.29
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

lululemon athletica (LULU) at 1.16 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Ralph Lauren (RL) at 2.61 sits in the pricier quartile — RL costs more per dollar of sales.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

1.16

Max
3.32
Q3
1.74
LULU
1.16
Median
1.02
Q1
0.56
Min
0.01

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

2.61

Max
3.32
RL
2.61
Q3
1.74
Median
1.02
Q1
0.56
Min
0.01
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lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

lululemon athletica (LULU) at 2.58 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Ralph Lauren (RL) at 8.15 carries an above-peer premium to book — RL is pricier on assets.

LULU

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

2.58

Max
8.35
Q3
4.28
LULU
2.58
Median
2.11
Q1
1.09
Min
0.49

RL

Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group

8.15

Max
8.35
RL
8.15
Q3
4.28
Median
2.11
Q1
1.09
Min
0.49
Loading chart…
lululemon athletica (LULU) vs. Ralph Lauren (RL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Durables & Apparel industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for lululemon athletica (LULU) and Ralph Lauren (RL)
MetricLULURL
P/E Ratio (TTM)9.1221.62
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.162.61
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.588.15
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)8.95%4.99%