Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Trading Up 1.6%

Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)’s stock price traded up 1.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $405.40 and last traded at $403.30. 304,266 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 67% from the average session volume of 934,686 shares. The stock had previously closed at $397.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $520.00 to $450.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $438.00 to $412.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $375.00 to $345.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Ulta Beauty from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $412.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $425.29.

Ulta Beauty Stock Up 0.9 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $19.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.73, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.31. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $368.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $410.05.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $5.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.47 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $2.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 54.02%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.02 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 23.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ulta Beauty

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 100 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.08, for a total transaction of $39,008.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $786,791.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Ulta Beauty news, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 100 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.08, for a total value of $39,008.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,017 shares in the company, valued at $786,791.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $388.68, for a total value of $252,642.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at $2,643,412.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ULTA. Vima LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Ulta Beauty in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 490.0% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 59 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ulta Beauty during the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 83.3% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 66 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% 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.