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

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 28.360-28.800 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 26.210. The company issued revenue guidance of $13.1 billion-$13.3 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $12.5 billion.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ULTA. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $650.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Ulta Beauty from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $635.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $700.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Barclays downgraded Ulta Beauty from an “overweight” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $687.95.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

NASDAQ:ULTA traded down $5.84 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $494.93. 936,154 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 675,259. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $525.01 and its 200-day moving average is $585.92. The stock has a market cap of $21.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.86. Ulta Beauty has a 1-year low of $452.00 and a 1-year high of $714.97.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $7.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.91 by $0.83. The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.12 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 9.31%.Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.360-28.800 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ulta Beauty will post 28.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total transaction of $243,759.08. Following the sale, the director owned 2,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,285,128.07. This represents a 15.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ulta beat first-quarter expectations, reporting EPS of $7.74 versus consensus of $6.91 and revenue of $3.16 billion versus estimates of $3.12 billion, which signals stronger-than-expected demand and profitability. View Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: The company said it remains highly profitable, with 9.31% net margin and 43.56% return on equity, which supports the case for durable earnings power.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ulta also announced its fiscal 2026 results and updated guidance, but the provided details do not include the new outlook ranges, so investors are waiting to judge whether management’s tone is conservative or encouraging. Ulta Beauty Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results and Updates Fiscal 2026 Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Heading into earnings, analysts were already looking for a solid quarter, with expectations around $3.08 billion in revenue and $6.87 EPS; the beat may help offset recent analyst caution and price-target chatter.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares had already been under pressure after a recent analyst price-target cut, and the stock is also trading below its key 50-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting sentiment had weakened before the report.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter worth $353,000. Compound Planning Inc. raised its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 864,621 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $523,104,000 after buying an additional 24,238 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 1,837.4% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 230,998 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $139,756,000 after buying an additional 219,075 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 35,404 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $21,420,000 after buying an additional 2,761 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

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.