Quantitative Investment Management LLC Has $5.11 Million Holdings in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Quantitative Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 498.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,338 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,443 shares during the quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $5,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,815,712,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,025,565 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,225,487,000 after acquiring an additional 50,305 shares during the period. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 52,171.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,474,042 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $77,050,000 after acquiring an additional 1,471,222 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,240,210 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $747,587,000 after purchasing an additional 21,947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 974,223 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $589,415,000 after purchasing an additional 2,463 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Ulta reported $6.55 in EPS versus the $6.20 consensus and revenue of approximately $3.04 billion, up 8.9% year over year and ahead of the $2.99 billion estimate. Comparable sales rose 3.8%, while digital sales, loyalty growth, new brands and stronger execution supported performance. Ulta Beauty Q2 Earnings Beat as Sales Rise, FY26 View Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Ulta raised its fiscal 2026 outlook and expanded capital returns. The company now expects EPS of $28.70–$29.00, up from $28.36–$28.80, and revenue of roughly $13.2–$13.3 billion. It also increased its planned share repurchases to $1.8 billion, which could provide support for per-share earnings. Ulta Beauty Targets Sales Growth and Buybacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive, but estimates are mixed. DA Davidson raised its price target to $625 and maintained a Buy rating, while Bank of America lowered its target to $650 but also kept a Buy rating. The conflicting revisions suggest confidence in Ulta’s long-term share gains, alongside caution about valuation and execution risks.
• Negative Sentiment: The market reaction reflects concerns about forward momentum. Management indicated that third-quarter comparable-sales comparisons may be weaker than fourth-quarter comparisons, increasing the risk of a temporary slowdown. Investors are also focused on Target’s rollout of its own Beauty Studio in more than 600 stores, including five former Ulta locations in South Carolina, potentially intensifying competition for prestige beauty customers. Ulta is responding by emphasizing exclusive products and brand differentiation. Ulta Leans Into Exclusivity Amid Target Competition

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on Ulta Beauty from $799.00 to $731.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. UBS Group set a $631.00 price objective on Ulta Beauty in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $730.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $648.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $626.59.

Insider Transactions at Ulta Beauty

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 383 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.84, for a total transaction of $182,246.72. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,143,919.36. This represents a 13.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ULTA opened at $517.50 on Monday. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 1-year low of $443.60 and a 1-year high of $714.97. The company has a market cap of $22.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $497.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $533.60.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $6.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.22 by $0.33. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.34% and a return on equity of 45.40%. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.78 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.700-29.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.9 earnings per share for the current 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.