Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) Stock Has Average Target Price of $627.83

Shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-two ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $627.83.

Several brokerages have weighed in on ULTA. UBS Group set a $631.00 target price on Ulta Beauty in a research note on Friday, August 28th. Raymond James Financial cut Ulta Beauty from a “strong-buy” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $625.00 price target on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday, September 14th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $685.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 28th.

Ulta Beauty Trading Up 0.7%

ULTA opened at $606.99 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $549.32 and its 200-day moving average is $518.59. The stock has a market cap of $25.95 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.84. Ulta Beauty has a twelve month low of $443.60 and a twelve month high of $714.97.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $6.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.22 by $0.33. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 45.40% and a net margin of 9.34%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.78 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.700-29.000 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ulta Beauty will post 28.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Ulta Beauty

In other Ulta Beauty news, CEO Kecia Steelman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $545.88, for a total transaction of $1,091,760.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 40,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,102,135.32. This trade represents a 4.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Lorna Nagler sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $537.31, for a total transaction of $322,386.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,168 shares in the company, valued at $3,851,438.08. This trade represents a 7.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ulta Beauty

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ULTA. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the second quarter worth approximately $1,815,712,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,024,623 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $913,064,000 after buying an additional 22,036 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 52,171.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,474,042 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $77,050,000 after buying an additional 1,471,222 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 974,223 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $589,415,000 after buying an additional 2,463 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 2.0% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 598,104 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $312,635,000 after buying an additional 11,591 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ulta Beauty News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bath & Body Works partnership expands holiday opportunities: Bath & Body Works is expanding its relationship with Ulta Beauty, potentially adding more branded products and gift options across Ulta’s stores and digital channels during the important holiday season. Bath & Body Works expands its Ulta partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Holiday gift sets support seasonal demand: Coverage highlights Ulta’s broad selection of holiday gift sets, which could increase customer traffic, impulse purchases and average transaction values in the key fourth quarter. Ulta Beauty’s gift sets are holiday sparkle in a box
• Positive Sentiment: Website traffic and digital engagement are improving: Ulta’s website traffic reportedly surged 48% in September. Bank of America raised its price target, citing stronger visits and digital engagement, while the company’s ChatGPT partnership enables personalized product bundles and discounts that could improve conversion and customer retention. Ulta Guided for Modest Sales Growth. Its Website Traffic Jumped 48% in September Ulta Beauty, What Is Behind The Fresh Attention?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent trading momentum and fundamentals remain supportive: Ulta outperformed the broader market in the latest reported session. Its most recent earnings beat analysts’ expectations for both earnings and revenue, with sales growing year over year, supporting the long-term bullish case. Ulta Beauty Beats Stock Market Upswing
• Neutral Sentiment: Salon initiatives broaden Ulta’s customer reach: Articles describe efforts to improve the salon experience for Black women, which may strengthen brand loyalty and expand service revenue over time, though the immediate financial effect is uncertain. Ulta is making the case for a better salon experience for Black women
• Neutral Sentiment: AI-shopping adoption is still developing: Walmart’s willingness to work with multiple AI ecosystems highlights the potential of agent-led shopping and provides a favorable backdrop for Ulta’s ChatGPT initiative, but the strategy’s contribution to sales remains unproven. Amazon blocks agentic AI shopping

Ulta Beauty Company Profile

Ulta Beauty, Inc is a specialty beauty retailer that offers cosmetics, skincare, haircare, fragrance, bath and body products, beauty tools, and related accessories. Its assortment includes national and emerging brands, prestige and mass-market products, and Ulta Beauty’s private-label merchandise. The company also provides salon services, including hair styling, haircuts, coloring, and treatments, along with brow and skin services in many of its locations.

Founded in 1990 as Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, the company operates primarily in the United States through a network of retail stores and digital channels, including its website and mobile application.