Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Now Covered by B. Riley

B. Riley initiated coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage issued a sell rating and a $300.00 price target on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $552.00 to $448.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $530.00 to $544.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. UBS Group lowered their target price on Ulta Beauty from $550.00 to $505.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on Ulta Beauty from $500.00 to $450.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 30th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $507.00 to $435.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $425.29.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

Ulta Beauty stock opened at $373.08 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $368.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $415.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.55, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.31. Ulta Beauty has a 52 week low of $318.17 and a 52 week high of $574.76.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued 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). 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Ulta Beauty will post 23.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 83.3% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 66 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Vima LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors 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.