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

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, nineteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $687.9524.

ULTA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Monday, March 9th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $810.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Ulta Beauty from a “strong sell” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $725.00 target price (down from $775.00) on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Tuesday, March 10th.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

ULTA stock opened at $515.04 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $22.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.89. Ulta Beauty has a twelve month low of $402.76 and a twelve month high of $714.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $528.75 and a 200-day moving average of $586.18.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 9.31%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.46 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty will post 28.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total value of $243,759.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,285,128.07. This represents a 15.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 4,200.0% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 43 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 860.0% in the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 48 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. increased its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 2,550.0% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 53 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

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.