Zacks Research Has Weak Estimate for Ulta Beauty Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has reduced its Q3 2026 earnings per share estimate for Ulta Beauty from $4.22 to $4.13, amid expectations of downward revisions in future earnings.
• Multiple equities analysts have recently adjusted target prices for Ulta Beauty, with ranges varying from $425.00 to $680.00, reflecting mixed views on the stock's performance.
• Ulta Beauty's most recent earnings report revealed a significant 9.3% increase in revenue year-over-year, posting earnings of $5.78 per share against estimates of $5.03.

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) - Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, September 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the specialty retailer will post earnings of $4.13 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $4.22. The consensus estimate for Ulta Beauty's current full-year earnings is $23.96 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Ulta Beauty's Q4 2026 earnings at $7.36 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $7.24 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $5.46 EPS and Q1 2028 earnings at $8.51 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on ULTA. Loop Capital restated a "hold" rating and issued a $510.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Friday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ulta Beauty from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Ulta Beauty from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Ulta Beauty from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $543.13.

Ulta Beauty Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ ULTA opened at $534.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.51, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.06. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $513.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $441.96. Ulta Beauty has a 52-week low of $309.01 and a 52-week high of $539.00.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 28th. The specialty retailer reported $5.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.03 by $0.75. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.66 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 48.78% and a net margin of 10.31%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.30 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ULTA. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Ulta Beauty by 107.7% during the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 54 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the first quarter valued at $31,000. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its position in Ulta Beauty by 142.9% during the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Ulta Beauty by 218.5% during the first quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 86 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ulta Beauty

In other news, Director Mike C. Smith sold 500 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $528.43, for a total transaction of $264,215.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,195,837.09. The trade was a 18.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Ulta Beauty Company Profile

Ulta Beauty, Inc operates as a specialty beauty retailer in the United States. The company offers branded and private label beauty products, including cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products, professional hair products, and salon styling tools through its Ulta Beauty stores, shop-in-shops, Ulta.com website, and its mobile applications.

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