James Investment Research Inc. Acquires Shares of 2,107 Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

James Investment Research Inc. bought a new position in Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,107 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,101,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ULTA. Optimize Financial Inc increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 1,176 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $711,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 265 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $160,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $934,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 996 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $602,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

Ulta Beauty stock opened at $461.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.88. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a one year low of $443.60 and a one year high of $714.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $494.90 and a 200 day moving average of $573.37.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $7.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.89 by $0.85. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.12 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 9.36%.Ulta Beauty’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.70 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.360-28.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ulta Beauty

In related news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total value of $243,759.08. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,285,128.07. This trade represents a 15.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ULTA shares. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $700.00 to $600.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $799.00 to $731.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ulta Beauty from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $685.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $741.00 to $652.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $810.00 to $735.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $638.09.

Key Stories Impacting Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ulta is using its summer promotion calendar to drive traffic, with discounts of up to 40% on brands like Clinique and Olaplex, which could support near-term sales. Ulta’s big summer beauty sale: Shop up to 40% off deals on Clinique, Olaplex and more
• Positive Sentiment: One article highlighted that Ulta’s fundamentals still look decent even after the stock hit a new 52-week low, suggesting some investors may see the shares as approaching a value/buy zone. Ulta Beauty Stock Hits a New 52-Week Low: If It’s Not in the Buy Zone, It’s Awfully Close
• Neutral Sentiment: Ulta opened a new store at Darinor Plaza in Norwalk, showing continued brick-and-mortar expansion, but the move appears incremental rather than a major catalyst. Ulta Beauty opens store at Darinor Plaza in Norwalk
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on why ULTA has fallen since its last earnings report, but they mainly point to post-earnings estimate revisions and broader investor caution rather than a new operational issue. Why Is Ulta (ULTA) Down 3.5% Since Last Earnings Report?
• Negative Sentiment: Target and Ulta Beauty are ending their store partnership in August, and Target plans to replace Ulta shop-in-shops with a new in-store beauty concept, which removes a distribution channel for Ulta and may pressure sales expectations. Target and Ulta Beauty to end store partnership this August

Ulta Beauty Company Profile

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.