DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Lowers Holdings in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale cut its holdings in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 182,185 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 10,036 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned 0.38% of Ulta Beauty worth $88,554,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 106.7% during the first quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $485.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Barclays upped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $583.00 to $612.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $480.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. UBS Group upped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $575.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $530.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $575.45.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ULTA traded down $3.89 during trading on Friday, reaching $444.75. 1,230,784 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,157,362. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a 52-week low of $368.02 and a 52-week high of $574.76. The company has a 50-day moving average of $526.20 and a 200-day moving average of $465.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.30.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The specialty retailer reported $8.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.49 by $0.59. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 61.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.68 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 26.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ulta Beauty declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, March 14th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anita Jane Ryan sold 3,102 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.25, for a total transaction of $1,629,325.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 2,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,420,801.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $526.26, for a total transaction of $263,130.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $876,222.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Anita Jane Ryan sold 3,102 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.25, for a total value of $1,629,325.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $1,420,801.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,552 shares of company stock valued at $12,920,326 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Ulta Beauty Profile

Ulta Beauty, Inc operate specialty retail stores selling cosmetics, fragrance, haircare and skincare products, and related accessories and services in the United States. It offers broad assortment of branded and private label beauty products including cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products, professional hair products, and salon styling tools; and salon services, including hair, skin, makeup, and brow services, as well as nail services.