Smead Capital Management Inc. Sells 9,946 Shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Key Points

• Smead Capital Management reduced its Ulta Beauty stake by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 9,946 shares and leaving it with 143,477 shares valued at about $86.8 million.
• Ulta Beauty recently reported quarterly earnings of $8.01 per share on revenue of $3.90 billion, beating analyst expectations and posting 11.8% year-over-year revenue growth. The company also raised FY 2026 guidance to 28.05-28.55 EPS.
• Wall Street remains generally constructive on the stock, with an average Moderate Buy rating and a consensus price target of $687.95, though analyst views are mixed and one recent downgrade came from Barclays.

Smead Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 143,477 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 9,946 shares during the period. Ulta Beauty accounts for 1.8% of Smead Capital Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Smead Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.32% of Ulta Beauty worth $86,805,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 4,200.0% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 43 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. BOKF NA bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 2,550.0% in the 4th 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. Finally, Tobam bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

Ulta Beauty stock opened at $515.04 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $528.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $585.70. The stock has a market cap of $22.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.89. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $402.76 and a fifty-two week 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.81 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.31% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.46 EPS. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on ULTA shares. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday, April 20th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday, April 20th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Barclays downgraded shares of Ulta Beauty from an "overweight" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $687.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ulta Beauty

In other news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total transaction of $243,759.08. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Ulta Beauty Company 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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