Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Shares Up 5.1% – Here’s What Happened

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)’s stock price was up 5.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $519.84 and last traded at $518.4380. Approximately 91,228 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 690,416 shares. The stock had previously closed at $493.33.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ULTA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Ulta Beauty from $730.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ulta Beauty from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $635.00 to $700.00 in a research report on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Barclays decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $712.00 to $647.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $650.00 to $585.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $638.09.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $22.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50 day moving average of $486.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $542.34.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $7.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.89 by $0.85. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.70 EPS. The company’s 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.78 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 383 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.84, for a total value of $182,246.72. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,143,919.36. The trade was a 13.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Optimize Financial Inc grew its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 1,176 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $711,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 167 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL raised its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL now owns 394 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $238,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 555 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

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.