Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, nineteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $638.0909.

Several research firms have commented on ULTA. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $741.00 to $652.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. B. Riley Financial lowered their target price on Ulta Beauty from $600.00 to $500.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Bank of America upgraded Ulta Beauty from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $685.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Ulta Beauty from $700.00 to $630.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Monday, April 20th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock.

Insider Activity at Ulta Beauty

In other news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 383 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.84, for a total value of $182,246.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,143,919.36. This trade represents a 13.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ULTA. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 52,171.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,474,042 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $77,050,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471,222 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 4th quarter worth approximately $430,963,000. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 339.6% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 379,939 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $207,732,000 after buying an additional 293,516 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1,837.4% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 230,998 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $139,756,000 after buying an additional 219,075 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 33.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 840,383 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $459,479,000 after buying an additional 211,485 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ULTA opened at $466.14 on Thursday. Ulta Beauty has a 1-year low of $443.60 and a 1-year high of $714.97. The stock has a market cap of $20.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $480.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $564.70.

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

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.