Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Purchases Shares of 36,176 Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought 36,176 shares of Ulta Beauty in the first quarter, a position valued at about $18.9 million. The stake made Ulta its 27th largest holding and about 0.4% of its portfolio.
• Ulta reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $7.74 versus estimates of $6.89 and revenue of $3.16 billion versus expectations of $3.12 billion. Revenue rose 11.1% year over year, and the company reaffirmed FY2026 EPS guidance of 28.36 to 28.80.
• Despite the earnings beat, Ulta faces some pressure from mixed market signals, including a recent stock decline, a director share sale, and the planned end of its Target store partnership in August. Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive overall, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 36,176 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $18,910,000. Ulta Beauty comprises about 0.4% of Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd owned about 0.08% of Ulta Beauty at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ULTA. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,376,848 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $3,253,047,000 after buying an additional 23,434 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,025,565 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,225,487,000 after acquiring an additional 50,305 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 52,171.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,474,042 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $77,050,000 after acquiring an additional 1,471,222 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 8.9% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 1,263,820 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $690,994,000 after acquiring an additional 103,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,240,210 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $747,587,000 after acquiring an additional 21,947 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Ulta Beauty Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of ULTA stock opened at $461.33 on Friday. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 12-month low of $443.60 and a 12-month high of $714.97. The company has a market capitalization of $19.83 billion, a PE ratio of 17.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $494.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $573.37.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 company 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.70 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.360-28.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.76 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Ulta Beauty

Here are the key news stories impacting Ulta Beauty this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ulta is using its summer promotion calendar to drive traffic, with discounts of up to 40% on brands like Clinique and Olaplex, which could support near-term sales. Ulta’s big summer beauty sale: Shop up to 40% off deals on Clinique, Olaplex and more
• Positive Sentiment: One article highlighted that Ulta’s fundamentals still look decent even after the stock hit a new 52-week low, suggesting some investors may see the shares as approaching a value/buy zone. Ulta Beauty Stock Hits a New 52-Week Low: If It’s Not in the Buy Zone, It’s Awfully Close
• Neutral Sentiment: Ulta opened a new store at Darinor Plaza in Norwalk, showing continued brick-and-mortar expansion, but the move appears incremental rather than a major catalyst. Ulta Beauty opens store at Darinor Plaza in Norwalk
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on why ULTA has fallen since its last earnings report, but they mainly point to post-earnings estimate revisions and broader investor caution rather than a new operational issue. Why Is Ulta (ULTA) Down 3.5% Since Last Earnings Report?
• Negative Sentiment: Target and Ulta Beauty are ending their store partnership in August, and Target plans to replace Ulta shop-in-shops with a new in-store beauty concept, which removes a distribution channel for Ulta and may pressure sales expectations. Target and Ulta Beauty to end store partnership this August

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the 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 owned 2,383 shares in the company, valued at $1,285,128.07. This trade represents a 15.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Ulta Beauty from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Ulta Beauty from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $635.00 to $700.00 in a report on Monday, April 20th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $638.09.

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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