Barclays Cuts Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Price Target to $647.00

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) had its price objective decreased by equities researchers at Barclays from $712.00 to $647.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Barclays‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 36.12% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $652.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Wednesday. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Monday, April 20th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday, April 20th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $800.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $679.05.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

NASDAQ:ULTA opened at $475.32 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.70 billion, a PE ratio of 18.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $525.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $585.92. Ulta Beauty has a 12 month low of $452.00 and a 12 month high of $714.97.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $7.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.89 by $0.85. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.12 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 9.31%.Ulta Beauty’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.70 EPS. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.360-28.800 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty will post 28.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total transaction of $243,759.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,383 shares in the company, valued at $1,285,128.07. This represents a 15.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ULTA. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the third quarter valued at about $6,012,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 135.6% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,506 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,557,000 after buying an additional 3,744 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $430,963,000. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,008,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 979.1% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 74,201 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $40,569,000 after acquiring an additional 67,325 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

More Ulta Beauty News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ulta delivered a big Q1 earnings beat, posting $7.74 EPS versus expectations and $3.16 billion in revenue, while sales rose 11.1% year over year. Ulta Beauty Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results and Updates Fiscal 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised fiscal 2026 guidance, including EPS of $28.36-$28.80 and revenue of $13.1 billion-$13.3 billion, signaling management sees momentum continuing. Ulta Beauty raises annual profit forecast on higher-priced product demand
• Positive Sentiment: Comparable sales grew 5.3%, helped by broad-based demand across channels and categories, which suggests Ulta is still gaining share despite a cautious consumer backdrop. Ulta shares pop as beauty retailer beats Wall Street expectations and hikes earnings outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management also highlighted stronger margins, lower inventory-related losses, and a larger buyback target, all of which support earnings quality and capital returns. ULTA Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Share Gains, Discipline
• Neutral Sentiment: Ulta also announced plans for a new Times Square flagship store, a long-term brand visibility move that is not likely to affect near-term results much. Ulta Beauty’s Heading to Times Square

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.