Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Stock Price Up 2.2%

Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) shares traded up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $375.61 and last traded at $374.77. 414,076 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 881,944 shares. The stock had previously closed at $366.82.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $425.00 to $380.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $525.00 to $485.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $552.00 to $448.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $412.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Ulta Beauty from $500.00 to $385.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $436.83.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $372.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $427.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.76, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.37.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 11.13% and a return on equity of 58.06%. Ulta Beauty’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.02 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 25.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ulta Beauty

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $268,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the second quarter worth $124,000. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 757 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter valued at $386,000. Finally, Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter valued at $538,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.