Victory Capital Management Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management cut its stake in Ulta Beauty by 6.0% in Q3, selling 7,391 shares and retaining 116,632 shares worth about $63.77 million (roughly 0.26% ownership).
• Ulta beat quarterly expectations with EPS $5.14 versus $4.61 expected and revenue of $2.86 billion (up 12.9% year‑over‑year), reporting strong profitability (ROE 46.33%, net margin 9.93%).
• Analysts hold a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $626.84 and several firms raising targets to as high as $775; the stock carries a $29 billion market cap and a P/E of 25.06.

Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) by 6.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 116,632 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 7,391 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.26% of Ulta Beauty worth $63,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ULTA. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 107.7% in the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 54 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

ULTA opened at $653.64 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $29.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.82. The firm's fifty day moving average is $663.60 and its 200 day moving average is $582.51. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $309.01 and a fifty-two week high of $714.97.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The specialty retailer reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.61 by $0.53. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 46.33% and a net margin of 9.93%.The business had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.14 EPS. Ulta Beauty's revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 23.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ULTA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $775.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $680.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. B. Riley Financial reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $725.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $626.84.

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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