Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Reaches New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Friday after Argus raised their price target on the stock from $650.00 to $700.00. Argus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Ulta Beauty traded as high as $620.28 and last traded at $618.0870, with a volume of 78682 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $605.01.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $640.00 target price (up from $610.00) on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Oppenheimer set a $675.00 price target on Ulta Beauty in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $700.00 price objective on Ulta Beauty in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $581.92.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lindenwold Advisors INC boosted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 4,774 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,610,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 27.8% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 48.5% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 23,591 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $12,898,000 after buying an additional 7,702 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the third quarter worth approximately $506,000. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,390,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $553.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $526.65. The company has a market capitalization of $27.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.85.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The specialty retailer reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.61 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $2.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.70 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 46.33% and a net margin of 9.93%.The business’s revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.14 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.200-25.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 23.96 EPS for the current year.

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.