Acadian Asset Management LLC Takes Position in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)

Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,364 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $525,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter valued at $263,192,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the first quarter worth about $176,753,000. TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 177.8% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 407,347 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $199,596,000 after purchasing an additional 260,740 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 210.4% during the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 271,550 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $141,988,000 after purchasing an additional 184,060 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its position in Ulta Beauty by 47.7% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 476,027 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $246,862,000 after purchasing an additional 153,727 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of ULTA stock opened at $402.72 on Thursday. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a 12 month low of $318.17 and a 12 month high of $574.76. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $368.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $410.00. The firm has a market cap of $18.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.31.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued its quarterly 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). Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 54.02% and a net margin of 10.68%. The business had revenue of $2.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.02 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 23.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ULTA shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $525.00 to $485.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on Ulta Beauty from $522.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ulta Beauty from $325.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Loop Capital decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $520.00 to $450.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $375.00 to $345.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $425.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

About Ulta Beauty

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.