Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC cut its Ulta Beauty stake by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 7,711 shares and leaving it with 63,647 shares worth about $38.5 million.
• Ulta Beauty’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $8.01 and revenue of $3.90 billion, while the company also reaffirmed FY2026 EPS guidance of 28.05 to 28.55.
• Wall Street remains mostly positive on ULTA: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average price target of $687.95, though some analysts have recently lowered targets or downgraded the stock.

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,647 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 7,711 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.14% of Ulta Beauty worth $38,507,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 265 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Legacy Advisors LLC increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. State of Wyoming increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 211 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 996 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $602,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ULTA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $650.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Monday, April 20th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Zacks Research cut Ulta Beauty from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wedbush assumed coverage on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Monday, April 20th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $687.95.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

Shares of ULTA stock opened at $504.05 on Friday. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 1 year low of $402.76 and a 1 year high of $714.97. The stock has a market cap of $21.96 billion, a PE ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.89. The business's fifty day moving average is $531.50 and its 200-day moving average is $586.20.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.08. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 9.31%.The company had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.46 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total transaction of $243,759.08. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.17% 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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