Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Trading Up 1.1%

Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) traded up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $364.21 and last traded at $363.85. 167,284 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 923,019 shares. The stock had previously closed at $359.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on ULTA. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $552.00 to $448.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $438.00 to $412.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $530.00 to $544.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Ulta Beauty from $500.00 to $385.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $430.74.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $17.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.34, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $369.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $420.22.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last announced 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 company had revenue of $2.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.61 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 10.68% and a return on equity of 54.02%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.02 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 23.24 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ulta Beauty

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

Institutional Trading of Ulta Beauty

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter worth $263,192,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 1st quarter worth about $176,753,000. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 177.8% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 407,347 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $199,596,000 after purchasing an additional 260,740 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ulta Beauty by 210.4% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 271,550 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $141,988,000 after purchasing an additional 184,060 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 87.3% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 337,882 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $130,380,000 after purchasing an additional 157,497 shares during the last quarter. 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.