Piper Sandler Reiterates “Overweight” Rating for Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA)

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reiterated by stock analysts at Piper Sandler in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $725.00 target price on the specialty retailer’s stock, down from their prior target price of $775.00. Piper Sandler’s price objective points to a potential upside of 31.98% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Bank of America raised their price target on Ulta Beauty from $610.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Barclays raised their target price on Ulta Beauty from $680.00 to $712.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, B. Riley Financial restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Monday, December 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $633.12.

Ulta Beauty Stock Down 12.1%

Shares of Ulta Beauty stock traded down $75.38 on Friday, reaching $549.32. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,399,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 567,180. Ulta Beauty has a 52 week low of $323.36 and a 52 week high of $714.97. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $667.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $586.77. The company has a market capitalization of $24.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.82.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.08. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 46.33% and a net margin of 9.93%.The company had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.46 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ulta Beauty will post 23.96 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 4th quarter valued at $430,963,000. Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 339.6% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 379,939 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $207,732,000 after buying an additional 293,516 shares in the last quarter. Andra AP fonden increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 351,900.0% in the 3rd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 228,800 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $125,096,000 after buying an additional 228,735 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 1,837.4% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 230,998 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $139,756,000 after acquiring an additional 219,075 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 33.6% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 840,383 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $459,479,000 after acquiring an additional 211,485 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue and sales strength: Ulta reported net sales up ~11.8% Y/Y and beat revenue estimates, driven by higher comps, new stores and strong holiday demand — evidence demand remains resilient. Ulta Beauty Q4 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates, Sales Up 11.8% Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Digital tailwinds: Management highlighted AI-driven personalization and e‑commerce growth as drivers of sales and customer engagement, supporting long‑term growth assumptions. Ulta Beauty AI Personalization Drives Double-Digit eCommerce Surge
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst updates trimmed targets but ratings remain constructive — TD Cowen and Morgan Stanley pared price targets (still Buy/Overweight), showing continued analyst conviction despite the cautious near‑term outlook. Benzinga: Analyst Price Target Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Technicals/instutional support: Some analysts/market writers view the pullback as a “market reset” into support levels (possible buying opportunity for longer‑term holders), tempering panic selling. Ulta Beauty and an Ultimate Entry: Price Resets After Profit Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Profit outlook and rising marketing costs weighed most heavily: Ulta flagged higher advertising/SG&A to drive demand, and its FY2026 profit guidance came in below some Street expectations — the main reason investors sold despite the revenue beat. Ulta Beauty forecasts annual profit below estimates as advertising costs rise
• Negative Sentiment: FY26 growth to slow: Ulta guided to lower sales cadence (net sales +6–7% vs prior year ~9.7%), and comp guidance was conservative — investors worry slower growth plus higher costs will compress margins. Ulta Beauty expects slower sales growth in fiscal 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Immediate market reaction: Stocks tumbled in after‑hours/premarket trade on the mixed print and guidance; headlines highlighted margin pressure and a weak forward tone, amplifying volatility. Ulta Beauty Stock (ULTA) Crashes 10% on Soaring Costs, Weak Forecast; Eyes TikTok Launch

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.