Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Stock Price Up 2.6%

Shares of Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) were up 2.6% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $377.72 and last traded at $377.17. Approximately 216,894 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 923,979 shares. The stock had previously closed at $367.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ULTA shares. StockNews.com downgraded Ulta Beauty from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $500.00 to $430.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $438.00 to $412.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $412.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $550.00 to $505.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $425.29.

Ulta Beauty Stock Down 0.3 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $17.76 billion, a PE ratio of 14.38, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $369.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $416.15.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $5.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.47 by ($0.17). Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 54.02% and a net margin of 10.68%. The business had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.02 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 23.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ulta Beauty

In related news, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $388.68, for a total transaction of $252,642.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at $2,643,412.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Ulta Beauty news, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.08, for a total transaction of $39,008.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $786,791.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $388.68, for a total value of $252,642.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at $2,643,412.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.39% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ULTA. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,055 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,500,000. Brown Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the second quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $124,000. Finally, Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 757 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ulta Beauty Company Profile

Ulta Beauty, Inc operates as a specialty beauty retailer in the United States. The company offers branded and private label beauty products, including cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products, professional hair products, and salon styling tools through its Ulta Beauty stores, shop-in-shops, Ulta.com website, and its mobile applications.