Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Given New $700.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $750.00 to $700.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price indicates a potential upside of 25.63% from the company’s current price.

ULTA has been the subject of several other reports. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $732.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of Ulta Beauty from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $675.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $775.00 price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $635.12.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

ULTA stock traded down $67.51 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $557.19. 961,948 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 557,927. Ulta Beauty has a 52-week low of $323.36 and a 52-week high of $714.97. The business has a 50 day moving average of $667.28 and a 200-day moving average of $586.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.82.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 46.33% and a net margin of 9.93%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.46 EPS. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty will post 23.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ULTA. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Ulta Beauty by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 2,207 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. PeakShares LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter worth about $158,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 13,093 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,170 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 146,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $88,588,000 after acquiring an additional 5,617 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ulta Beauty this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue and digital strength — Ulta posted $3.9B in Q4 sales (+11.8% YoY) and modest beats on revenue and EPS, driven in part by double‑digit e‑commerce growth and AI personalization efforts that boosted online demand. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Digital / younger customer strategy — Management emphasized investments in AI and a TikTok‑led digital push under new leadership to attract younger, affluent shoppers, a strategy that analysts say could drive longer‑term customer acquisition. Reuters: TikTok push
• Neutral Sentiment: Product/partnership catalysts — New exclusives (e.g., Rare Beauty rollout, Luna Bronze expansion) and promotional events supported traffic and higher average ticket, but these are incremental versus the margin and guidance story. Yahoo: Product launches
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed on profitability and comps — Ulta’s FY2026 guidance signaled slower comparable‑store sales and profit pressure; management flagged increased advertising and other investments that will compress margins. That guidance drove the bulk of the market reaction. Reuters: Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Margin and cost pressure in Q4 — Operating margin and EPS declined YoY as SG&A rose (~23% YoY) from higher marketing, incentive comp and strategic spend; investors are worried about deleverage if sales slow. QuiverQuant: Margin analysis

About Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty, Inc (NASDAQ: ULTA) is a U.S.-based specialty retailer and beauty services provider focused on cosmetics, fragrance, skin care, hair care, bath and body, and beauty tools. The company operates a dual-format business that combines brick-and-mortar retail stores with an e-commerce platform, offering a broad assortment of national, prestige and mass-market brands alongside its own private-label products. In many locations Ulta also provides full-service salon treatments, positioning the company as a one-stop destination for product discovery and in-store services.

The retailer’s product mix spans color cosmetics, haircare and styling products, skin and body care, fragrance, and accessories, catering to a wide range of consumer preferences and price points.