Nomura Holdings Inc. Sells 5,808 Shares of Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)

Nomura Holdings Inc. cut its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 25.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,176 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,808 shares during the quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $7,470,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ULTA. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter worth approximately $430,674,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $239,432,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 10,336.7% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 459,110 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $199,681,000 after buying an additional 454,711 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $58,074,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 364.6% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 159,053 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $69,177,000 after buying an additional 124,822 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on ULTA. Citigroup reduced their target price on Ulta Beauty from $405.00 to $365.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Ulta Beauty from $467.00 to $404.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $500.00 to $460.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Argus lowered Ulta Beauty from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $400.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $427.83.

Ulta Beauty Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ ULTA opened at $411.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $367.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $385.00. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a 12-month low of $309.01 and a 12-month high of $460.00.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $8.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.13 by $1.33. The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.47 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 51.95% and a net margin of 10.58%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.08 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 23.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ulta Beauty

In related news, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 902 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.16, for a total value of $332,982.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,632 shares in the company, valued at $2,817,429.12. This trade represents a 10.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.