Royal Bank of Canada Sells 5,316 Shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada reduced its Ulta Beauty stake by 3.8%, selling 5,316 shares and retaining 136,174 shares valued at approximately $71.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 90.39% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $638.09, despite several firms recently lowering their targets.
• Ulta Beauty exceeded first-quarter expectations, reporting $7.74 in EPS versus $6.89 expected and $3.16 billion in revenue, up 11.1% year over year. Shares opened at $512.83, well below their 52-week high of $714.97.

Royal Bank of Canada lessened its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 136,174 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 5,316 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.31% of Ulta Beauty worth $71,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 4,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 43 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 860.0% during the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 48 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 2,550.0% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 53 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Ulta Beauty from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $635.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Ulta Beauty from $600.00 to $560.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Argus set a $550.00 price target on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Evercore set a $635.00 price target on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Ulta Beauty from $810.00 to $735.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $638.09.

Ulta Beauty Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of ULTA stock opened at $512.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.23, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.88. The company's 50 day moving average is $477.49 and its 200 day moving average is $553.64. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 52-week low of $443.60 and a 52-week high of $714.97.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $7.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.89 by $0.85. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.12 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Ulta Beauty's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.70 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.360-28.800 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ulta Beauty

In other news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 383 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.84, for a total value of $182,246.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,404 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,143,919.36. The trade was a 13.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.20% of the company's stock.

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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