Smead Capital Management Inc. Decreases Position in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Smead Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 143,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 9,946 shares during the quarter. Ulta Beauty accounts for 1.8% of Smead Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Smead Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $86,805,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 265 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $160,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Legacy Advisors LLC raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $934,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 211 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 996 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $602,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of ULTA opened at $515.04 on Friday. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 1-year low of $402.76 and a 1-year high of $714.97. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $528.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $585.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.89.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.08. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.31% and a return on equity of 43.56%. The business had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $8.46 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty’s quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,383 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ULTA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $725.00 target price (down from $775.00) on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Ulta Beauty from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $685.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays cut shares of Ulta Beauty from an “overweight” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $810.00 price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $687.95.

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.