Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA Shares Sold by Cinctive Capital Management LP

Cinctive Capital Management LP lessened its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 63.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,827 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 25,493 shares during the quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $8,107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 231.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,744 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,372,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Ulta Beauty by 48.9% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,758,000 after buying an additional 1,574 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter worth about $466,000. AE Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter worth about $284,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter valued at about $351,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 top-line beat — net sales rose ~11.8% to about $3.9B, driven by comps and new stores, showing resilient demand. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Digital momentum and new channels: Ulta cites AI-driven personalization boosting e‑commerce and is launching a curated assortment on TikTok Shop to reach younger customers. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 outlook shows growth but slower cadence — management guided to mid-single-digit sales growth (roughly 6–7%) and provided an EPS range; the plan signals continued growth but a deceleration from FY25. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts largely keep positive ratings but are trimming price targets after the print — many firms reaffirm buy/overweight while lowering targets to reflect the more cautious margin/advertising outlook. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure from rising costs and higher SG&A — operating margin compressed as advertising, incentive compensation and strategic investments increased, squeezing EPS versus last year. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market disappointed by the forward profit signal — investors viewed the FY26 profit/same-store-sales targets and incremental spending as conservative or risk-increasing, triggering heavy selling and analyst target resets. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: High-volume selloff and volatile sentiment — the post-earnings move has driven large intraday volume and rapid target revisions, increasing short-term downside risk despite longer-term bullish arguments. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $700.00 price objective for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $674.00 to $799.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $700.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $725.00 price target (down from $775.00) on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $810.00 price target on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $671.27.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Ulta Beauty stock opened at $535.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $23.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.82. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 12 month low of $323.36 and a 12 month high of $714.97. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $665.60 and its 200-day moving average is $587.27.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 44.44% and a net margin of 9.31%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.46 EPS. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 23.96 EPS 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.