Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Key Points

• Franklin Resources boosted its Ulta Beauty stake by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 647,434 shares valued at about $391.7 million.
• Ulta reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $7.74 beating estimates and revenue of $3.16 billion topping forecasts, while revenue rose 11.1% year over year.
• Despite the earnings beat, analysts remain mixed: Ulta has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” but price targets range widely, including cuts from some firms after the latest report.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 647,434 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 21,341 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 1.46% of Ulta Beauty worth $391,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ULTA. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 231.6% during the 1st 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 period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 48.9% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,758,000 after buying an additional 1,574 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ulta Beauty in the second quarter valued at about $466,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Ulta Beauty in the second quarter valued at about $1,196,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 0.9% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,475 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,497,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ulta Beauty

In related news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,285,128.07. This represents a 15.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Ulta Beauty Stock Down 0.9%

Ulta Beauty stock opened at $462.80 on Tuesday. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 52-week low of $452.00 and a 52-week high of $714.97. The firm has a market cap of $19.90 billion, a PE ratio of 17.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.86. The company's 50 day moving average is $520.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $584.11.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $7.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.89 by $0.85. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.12 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 9.36%.The company's revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.70 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.360-28.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Monday, April 20th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Ulta Beauty from $650.00 to $585.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Ulta Beauty from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $635.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $651.73.

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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