Ulta Beauty’s (ULTA) “Overweight” Rating Reaffirmed at Piper Sandler

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating restated by analysts at Piper Sandler in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $725.00 price objective on the specialty retailer’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $775.00. Piper Sandler’s price target suggests a potential upside of 31.98% from the company’s current price.

ULTA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $675.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Evercore increased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $690.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $700.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $633.12.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Shares of ULTA stock traded down $75.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $549.32. The company had a trading volume of 1,399,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 567,180. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $667.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $586.77. Ulta Beauty has a 52-week low of $323.36 and a 52-week high of $714.97. The company has a market capitalization of $24.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.82.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 107.7% during the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 54 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 4,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 43 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue and sales strength: Ulta reported net sales up ~11.8% Y/Y and beat revenue estimates, driven by higher comps, new stores and strong holiday demand — evidence demand remains resilient. Ulta Beauty Q4 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates, Sales Up 11.8% Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Digital tailwinds: Management highlighted AI-driven personalization and e‑commerce growth as drivers of sales and customer engagement, supporting long‑term growth assumptions. Ulta Beauty AI Personalization Drives Double-Digit eCommerce Surge
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst updates trimmed targets but ratings remain constructive — TD Cowen and Morgan Stanley pared price targets (still Buy/Overweight), showing continued analyst conviction despite the cautious near‑term outlook. Benzinga: Analyst Price Target Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Technicals/instutional support: Some analysts/market writers view the pullback as a “market reset” into support levels (possible buying opportunity for longer‑term holders), tempering panic selling. Ulta Beauty and an Ultimate Entry: Price Resets After Profit Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Profit outlook and rising marketing costs weighed most heavily: Ulta flagged higher advertising/SG&A to drive demand, and its FY2026 profit guidance came in below some Street expectations — the main reason investors sold despite the revenue beat. Ulta Beauty forecasts annual profit below estimates as advertising costs rise
• Negative Sentiment: FY26 growth to slow: Ulta guided to lower sales cadence (net sales +6–7% vs prior year ~9.7%), and comp guidance was conservative — investors worry slower growth plus higher costs will compress margins. Ulta Beauty expects slower sales growth in fiscal 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Immediate market reaction: Stocks tumbled in after‑hours/premarket trade on the mixed print and guidance; headlines highlighted margin pressure and a weak forward tone, amplifying volatility. Ulta Beauty Stock (ULTA) Crashes 10% on Soaring Costs, Weak Forecast; Eyes TikTok Launch

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.