Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $635.87 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: 23 of 32 covering firms rate Ulta Beauty a buy and one a strong buy, resulting in a “Moderate Buy” consensus. The average 12-month price target is $635.87.
• Ulta beat quarterly estimates: It reported EPS of $6.55 versus $6.22 expected and revenue of $3.04 billion versus $2.99 billion expected; revenue rose 8.9% year over year. The company guided to FY2026 EPS of $28.70–$29.00.
• Recent insider sales: CEO Kecia Steelman sold 2,000 shares and Director Lorna Nagler sold 600 shares; insiders collectively own 0.20% of the stock.

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirty-two research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $635.87.

ULTA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $580.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, November 6th. Barclays reduced their target price on Ulta Beauty from $647.00 to $645.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Ulta Beauty to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Ulta Beauty to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Finally, William Blair reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, August 21st.

Key Ulta Beauty News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Glow Recipe is entering Ulta Beauty with its viral eye masks, expanding the retailer’s skincare assortment and potentially drawing customer interest. Glow Recipe Launches Their Viral Eye Masks And Enters Ulta
• Positive Sentiment: Ulta Beauty’s price target was reportedly raised to $685, a potentially favorable signal for investor expectations; the report does not provide the prior target or rationale. Ulta Beauty Price Target Raised to $685.00
• Neutral Sentiment: A short-interest report says short interest totaled zero shares and days to cover were zero, while also describing a “large increase”—an internal inconsistency that makes the figures difficult to interpret.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kecia Steelman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 40,489 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lorna Nagler sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The shares were 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 approximately $3,851,438.08. This trade represents a 7.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 512,509.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 6,464,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,530,443,000 after buying an additional 6,462,739 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the second quarter worth approximately $1,815,712,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,024,623 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $913,064,000 after acquiring an additional 22,036 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $312,635,000 after acquiring an additional 11,591 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 493,209 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $257,764,000 after acquiring an additional 16,705 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Ulta Beauty Stock Down 0.1%

ULTA stock opened at $664.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.41 billion, a PE ratio of 24.21, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.83. Ulta Beauty has a twelve month low of $443.60 and a twelve month high of $714.97. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $581.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $553.59.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $6.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.22 by $0.33. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.34% and a return on equity of 45.40%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.78 EPS. Ulta Beauty'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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty will post 28.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ulta Beauty Company Profile

Ulta Beauty, Inc. is a specialty beauty retailer offering cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, haircare and related products. Its assortment includes both mass-market and prestige brands, as well as products sold under its own private-label brands. The company serves customers primarily through its retail stores across the United States and its e-commerce channels. Many stores also offer salon services, including haircuts, styling and hair color, alongside beauty products and services. Founded in 1990, Ulta Beauty is headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

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