Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) CEO Sells 2,000 Shares

Key Points

• Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman sold 2,000 shares at an average price of $545.88, generating approximately $1.09 million. Her remaining direct ownership fell 4.71% to 40,489 shares.
• Ulta shares recently traded at $557.86, up 3.1%, with a market capitalization of $23.85 billion. The stock remains below its 52-week high of $714.97.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $6.55 in EPS and $3.04 billion in revenue, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $627.83.

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) CEO Kecia Steelman sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.88, for a total value of $1,091,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,489 shares in the company, valued at $22,102,135.32. This trade represents a 4.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Ulta Beauty Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:ULTA traded up $16.88 on Monday, hitting $557.86. 507,621 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 695,130. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $522.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $519.06. The company has a market cap of $23.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.33, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.85. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 52 week low of $443.60 and a 52 week high of $714.97.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $6.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.22 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.34% and a return on equity of 45.40%. Ulta Beauty's revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.78 EPS. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.700-29.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 4th quarter worth $430,963,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 97.3% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 35,739 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $18,681,000 after purchasing an additional 17,625 shares in the last quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 1st quarter worth $3,024,000. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter worth $1,033,000. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its position in Ulta Beauty by 2,704.0% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 79,465 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $48,077,000 after purchasing an additional 76,631 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on ULTA. Barclays lowered their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $647.00 to $645.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Ulta Beauty from $730.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on Ulta Beauty from $685.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $648.00 to $667.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 28th. Finally, FBN Securities initiated coverage on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $627.83.

About Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty, Inc is a specialty beauty retailer operating under the Ulta Beauty brand. The company sells a broad selection of cosmetics, skincare, haircare, fragrance, bath and body products, and beauty tools across a range of price points. Its merchandise includes both established brands and private-label products, as well as prestige, mass-market and professional beauty offerings.

In addition to retail sales, Ulta Beauty provides services through salon locations within many of its stores, including hair, skin and brow services.

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