Lafayette Investments Inc. Has $1.25 Million Stake in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Key Points

• Lafayette Investments Inc. has reduced its stake in Ulta Beauty Inc. by 41.1%, leaving them with a position worth about $1.25 million.
• Several institutional investors have recently increased their stakes in Ulta Beauty, indicating continued interest from the financial community.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Ulta Beauty, with one "Strong Buy," thirteen "Buy," and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" along with an average price target of $550.38.

Lafayette Investments Inc. reduced its position in Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) by 41.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,663 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,861 shares during the quarter. Lafayette Investments Inc.'s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $1,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ULTA. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 6.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Ulta Beauty by 110.3% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,638,000 after acquiring an additional 5,207 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 49.5% in the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 148 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 1st quarter worth about $493,000. Finally, Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Ulta Beauty by 72.4% during the first quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 817 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $299,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Ulta Beauty from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Loop Capital reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $510.00 price target on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $610.00 price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $550.38.

Insider Transactions at Ulta Beauty

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director Mike C. Smith sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $528.43, for a total transaction of $264,215.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,195,837.09. This trade represents a 18.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Ulta Beauty stock opened at $523.72 on Tuesday. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $309.01 and a fifty-two week high of $572.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.08, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.08. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $531.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $472.27.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 28th. The specialty retailer reported $5.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.03 by $0.75. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.66 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 48.78%. The firm's revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.30 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 23.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ulta Beauty Company Profile

Ulta Beauty, Inc operates as a specialty beauty retailer in the United States. The company offers branded and private label beauty products, including cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products, professional hair products, and salon styling tools through its Ulta Beauty stores, shop-in-shops, Ulta.com website, and its mobile applications.

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