Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 28.050-28.550 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 26.770. The company issued revenue guidance of $13.1 billion-$13.3 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $12.6 billion.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ULTA. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research lowered Ulta Beauty from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $674.00 to $799.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $638.12.

Ulta Beauty Trading Down 4.3%

Shares of ULTA traded down $27.95 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $624.70. 1,103,195 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 536,101. Ulta Beauty has a 12 month low of $309.01 and a 12 month high of $714.97. The stock has a market cap of $27.71 billion, a PE ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.82. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $666.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $586.51.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.93% and a return on equity of 46.33%. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ulta Beauty will post 23.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More Ulta Beauty News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ulta Beauty this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness and price-target increases from major shops signal upside potential; Telsey raised its target to $715 and Wells Fargo to $500, while Barclays and Canaccord also published favorable outlooks—these upgrades can support the stock if earnings or guidance show resilience. Article Title Read More. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Selena Gomez brand launch is a near-term sales catalyst—industry previews and retail commentary expect the partnership to boost Q4 sales and traffic, which could offset softer comps if conversion and ASPs hold. Article Title Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Promotional cadence (Ulta’s “21 Days of Beauty” sale) can lift near-term sales and traffic — a positive for Q4 revenue and margin leverage if higher-margin items sell well. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several earnings previews outline consensus expectations (EPS ~$8.03; revenue ~$3.82B) and key metrics to watch (comp sales, margin, guidance). Actual results/guidance will determine direction. Article Title Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/consumer macro notes (CPI, jobless claims) and market moves could influence sentiment around discretionary names like ULTA but aren’t Ulta-specific; monitor consumer spending data post-earnings. Article Title Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjacent retail/brand moves (Keracolor expansion) signal category competition and broader beauty retail dynamics but are unlikely to move ULTA materially on their own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts revised forecasts lower ahead of the Q4 report and Benzinga flagged expectations for lower Q4 earnings; a miss on EPS, revenue, comps or weak guidance would weigh on the stock. Article Title

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,025,565 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,225,487,000 after acquiring an additional 50,305 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 864,621 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $523,104,000 after purchasing an additional 24,238 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 478,657 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $289,592,000 after purchasing an additional 24,451 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 76.6% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 477,504 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $222,794,000 after purchasing an additional 207,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 469,734 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $284,194,000 after purchasing an additional 24,971 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ulta Beauty

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.