Legal & General Group Plc Purchases 15,462 Shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc increased its Ulta stake by 4.4% in Q3, adding 15,462 shares to hold 369,434 shares (about 0.82%) worth roughly $202 million; overall institutional ownership is about 90.4%.
• Q4 results and guidance: Ulta posted revenue of $3.90B (+11.8% YoY) and EPS of $8.01 (slightly above consensus), but operating margins compressed and management issued a cautious FY2026 outlook, triggering a ~4.3% stock drop.
• Analyst backdrop is mixed but generally positive: the average rating is "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $638.12 and individual targets ranging up to $750.

Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 369,434 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 15,462 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.82% of Ulta Beauty worth $201,988,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ULTA. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 231.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,744 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,372,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $1,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,574 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $466,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $357,000. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $284,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ULTA shares. Barclays upped their target price on Ulta Beauty from $680.00 to $712.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $700.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $675.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $610.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $638.12.

Ulta Beauty News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 topline beat and healthy same‑store sales: net sales were $3.90B (+11.8% YoY) and comps improved, showing demand resilience. Ulta Q4 press release
• Positive Sentiment: EPS roughly in line/beat consensus (reported $8.01) and operating cash flow strengthened, which supports reinvestment and the balance sheet. Zacks: Q4 EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst backdrop and price targets remain wide — many bullish targets but some lower ones, leaving room for divergent reactions to the print. QuiverQuant: analyst and target context
• Neutral Sentiment: New product/brand catalysts (e.g., Selena Gomez launch and promotional events) could help sales execution but are longer‑dated positives. MSN: Selena Gomez catalyst
• Negative Sentiment: Investors focused on margin pressure: operating margin compressed and Q4 EPS declined year‑over‑year despite revenue growth, driven by higher SG&A, incentives and marketing. QuiverQuant: margin details
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious FY2026 outlook and increased marketing spend: management signaled slower growth/more selective consumer spending and guided in a way that traders read as conservative, prompting the sell‑off. Reuters: guidance and ad spend
• Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet & investment signals: capex rose sharply and cash declined YoY, indicating heavier reinvestment that could depress near‑term margins if sales decelerate. QuiverQuant: capex and cash

Ulta Beauty Stock Down 4.3%

NASDAQ ULTA opened at $624.70 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.71 billion, a PE ratio of 23.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.82. The stock's 50 day moving average is $667.28 and its 200 day moving average is $586.77. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a twelve month low of $309.01 and a twelve month high of $714.97.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 46.33% and a net margin of 9.93%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.46 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 23.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Ulta Beauty Profile

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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