TD Cowen Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Stock Price

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) had its target price cut by investment analysts at TD Cowen from $775.00 to $750.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. TD Cowen’s target price indicates a potential upside of 34.60% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on ULTA. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Ulta Beauty from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $690.00 to $780.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ulta Beauty from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $635.12.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Shares of 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. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $667.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $586.77. The firm has a market cap of $24.72 billion, a PE ratio of 21.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.82. Ulta Beauty has a 1-year low of $323.36 and a 1-year high of $714.97.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 231.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,744 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,372,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 48.9% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,758,000 after buying an additional 1,574 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty in the second quarter valued at approximately $466,000. AE Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the second quarter valued at approximately $284,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the second quarter valued at approximately $351,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Key Ulta Beauty News

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.