Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Moderate Buy consensus: 28 analysts cover Ulta (18 buy, 8 hold, 1 sell, 1 strong buy) with an average one‑year target price of $674.23.
• Recent quarter beat expectations—EPS $8.01 vs $7.93 and revenue $3.90B vs $3.81B—and the company set FY2026 guidance of 28.05–28.55 EPS, roughly in line with street forecasts (~28.4).
• Growth catalysts include a new Google partnership to add AI‑powered shopping features and strong brand events like Ulta Beauty World, which may help omnichannel discovery and sales.

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation, eighteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $674.2273.

A number of analysts have weighed in on ULTA shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Ulta Beauty from a "strong sell" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $732.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $610.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock.

Insider Transactions at Ulta Beauty

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total value of $243,759.08. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,383 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,285,128.07. This trade represents a 15.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 4,200.0% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 43 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 860.0% in the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 48 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

Shares of ULTA stock opened at $558.55 on Friday. Ulta Beauty has a one year low of $377.58 and a one year high of $714.97. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $586.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $587.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.79, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.95.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.81 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.31% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.46 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ulta Beauty will post 28.4 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Partnership with Google to add AI-powered shopping features could improve customer discovery and e‑commerce conversion, supporting long‑term growth in omnichannel sales. Ulta Beauty, Google partner on AI-powered shopping experiences
• Positive Sentiment: Ulta Beauty World 2026 drew record crowds and spotlighted indie/emerging brands and celebrity tie‑ins — a positive for brand halo, store traffic and wholesale/brand partnerships. Ulta Beauty World draws record crowds and boosts emerging brands
• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals remain supportive: recent quarterly results showed a top‑line beat and management set FY2026 EPS guidance (28.05–28.55). That beats/frames street expectations and underpins valuation multiple resilience.
• Neutral Sentiment: Barron’s reexamined ULTA as a previously recommended idea, noting bullish technical indicators (200‑day SMA recovery potential) — useful for technical traders but not new fundamental news. Reexamining Stock Picks Ulta Beauty, Peabody Energy, U-Haul
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays flagged that an oil price shock could reshape discretionary retail winners and losers; off‑price chains may be more resilient than traditional discretionary merchandisers. This is a sector headwind more than an Ulta‑specific call. Barclays lists retail sector winners and losers in an oil shock
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data published for April looks anomalous (shows zero shares / NaN change), so it’s not a reliable signal for today’s move; monitor later filings for clarity.
• Negative Sentiment: Market‑reaction pieces note the stock has declined today (around a 1% move), which appears driven by broad market rotation and sector sentiment rather than fresh negative company news. Ulta Beauty (ULTA) Stock Slides as Market Rises: Facts to Know Before You Trade

Ulta Beauty Company 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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