13,420 Shares in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA Acquired by NWK Group Inc.

Key Points

• NWK Group Inc. disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Ulta Beauty, buying 13,420 shares valued at about $8.1 million. The holding makes ULTA roughly 2.8% of its portfolio and its 12th-largest position.
• Ulta continues to attract heavy institutional interest, with 90.39% of the stock owned by hedge funds and other institutions. Several smaller funds also increased their stakes during the quarter.
• Management and analysts remain broadly constructive: Ulta beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, and Wall Street’s consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $687.95, even as a director recently sold shares.

NWK Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 13,420 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $8,119,000. Ulta Beauty comprises about 2.8% of NWK Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Optimize Financial Inc lifted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 1,176 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $711,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 265 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $160,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $934,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 211 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total value of $243,759.08. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,285,128.07. This trade represents a 15.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ULTA opened at $507.35 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $525.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $586.11. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $414.21 and a fifty-two week high of $714.97.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.08. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 9.31%.The firm had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.46 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.47 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on ULTA shares. William Blair reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday, March 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $674.00 to $799.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. TD Cowen started coverage on Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday, April 20th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Bank of America raised Ulta Beauty from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $685.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Ulta Beauty from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $635.00 to $700.00 in a report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $687.95.

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.

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