Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) issued its earnings results on Tuesday. The specialty retailer reported $7.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.89 by $0.85, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.12 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 43.71%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.70 EPS. Ulta Beauty updated its FY 2026 guidance to 28.360-28.800 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Ulta Beauty’s conference call:

• Ulta Beauty delivered a strong first quarter with net sales up 11.1%, comparable sales up 5.3%, and diluted EPS up 15.5%, with gains across stores, e-commerce, and major categories. Management said the performance was broad-based and supported by solid execution across the business.
• The company raised its full-year operating profit growth outlook and increased EPS guidance, while keeping sales guidance unchanged at 6% to 7% comp growth at 2.5% to 3.5%. Management also lifted its stock buyback target to $1.5 billion from $1 billion, which helped support the higher EPS range.
• Fragrance remained the standout category, with high-teen comp growth, driven by newness from luxury brands and the exclusive NOYZ launch. Management said the category is a key strategic priority as Ulta works toward becoming the number one destination for fragrance.
• Ulta highlighted traction in several growth initiatives, including its new TikTok Shop, marketplace, wellness, and UB Media offerings. The company also said loyalty membership reached nearly 47 million, reinforcing its ability to use first-party data and personalization to drive sales.
• Management acknowledged a cautious macro backdrop with consumers becoming more value-focused and said the full-year outlook assumes the beauty category growth normalizes after a strong prior year. Gross margin is expected to be roughly flat for the year as early shrink benefits and supply-chain gains are partly offset by fuel and investment pressure.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Ulta Beauty stock opened at $471.21 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $523.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $585.19. Ulta Beauty has a fifty-two week low of $452.00 and a fifty-two week high of $714.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.67, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.86.

More Ulta Beauty News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ulta beat fiscal Q1 expectations on both earnings and revenue, with EPS of $7.74 and sales of $3.16 billion, while comparable sales rose 5.3% and revenue increased 11.1% year over year. Ulta Beauty Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results and Updates Fiscal 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its FY2026 earnings outlook to $28.36-$28.80 per share and reiterated strong full-year revenue expectations, signaling continued profitability despite a tougher consumer backdrop. Ulta Beauty raises annual profit forecast on higher-priced product demand
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms lifted or reaffirmed bullish views, including Robert W. Baird at $700, Barclays at $647, and JPMorgan at $631, reflecting confidence in Ulta’s growth and margin profile. Ulta Beauty Given New $700.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird
• Neutral Sentiment: Ulta announced a major Times Square flagship lease and a new Klarna partnership for flexible payments, both of which support brand visibility and e-commerce convenience but are unlikely to affect near-term earnings immediately. Klarna and Ulta Beauty Partner to Bring Flexible Payments to U.S. Beauty Shoppers
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s comments emphasized broad-based growth, disciplined spending, and continued share repurchases, which are constructive but not enough to fully offset investor caution around the second half of the year. ULTA Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Share Gains, Discipline
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors appear to be selling after the earnings beat because guidance was only modestly improved relative to the strong quarter, with concerns about inventory growth, costs, and full-year upside. Ulta Beauty beats Q1 estimates, shares fall on muted full-year outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts still trimmed price targets, including JPMorgan, Barclays, and Baird, suggesting the market is reassessing valuation after the stock’s strong post-earnings move. Ulta Beauty Given New $631.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,285,128.07. This trade represents a 15.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ulta Beauty

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 231.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,744 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,372,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 48.9% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,574 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 2nd quarter worth about $466,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,196,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,497,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ULTA has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $741.00 to $652.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $712.00 to $647.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Ulta Beauty from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $635.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $799.00 to $731.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Ulta Beauty from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $651.27.

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.