Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Updates 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 Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on ULTA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Ulta Beauty from $600.00 to $606.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $700.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $625.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, B. Riley Financial reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Monday, December 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $638.12.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

ULTA stock opened at $624.70 on Friday. Ulta Beauty has a 52 week low of $309.01 and a 52 week high of $714.97. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $667.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $586.77. The stock has a market cap of $27.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.82.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.93 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.81 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 46.33% and a net margin of 9.93%.Ulta Beauty’s quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.46 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ulta Beauty will post 23.96 EPS for the current year.

Ulta Beauty News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 top-line beat and digital traction — Ulta reported revenue of $3.90B (up 11.8% YoY) and said AI-driven personalization helped double?digit eCommerce growth, supporting continued sales momentum. Business Wire: Q4 results
• Positive Sentiment: New brand rollouts and partnerships — management highlighted exclusive launches (e.g., Rare Beauty) and assortments like Luna Bronze that produced strong one?day/segment results and could expand customer reach. Yahoo: Rare Beauty launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings per share roughly steady vs. estimates — reported EPS of $8.01 (near consensus) and operating metrics show both growth (sales) and some year?over?year profit compression. This keeps the business case intact but reduces near?term upside visibility. Yahoo: Earnings snapshot
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reiterated strategy investments — higher marketing, corporate overhead and technology spend (capex up) are intentional to drive market share, which may support long?term growth but compresses short?term margins. PYMNTS: AI and investments
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious FY2026 outlook and profit warning — management’s fiscal?year guidance and same?store sales projections were viewed as conservative and fell short of some Street expectations, prompting investor concern about growth deceleration. Reuters: Guidance below estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Rising advertising/SG&A and margin pressure — company flagged higher advertising and incentive costs; operating margin contracted versus prior year, which reduces near?term earnings visibility. QuiverQuant: Margin pressure analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell sharply in after?hours/extended trading — investors punished the cautious guidance and cost outlook despite the sales beat, leading to an ~8%+ drop after the print. Blockonomi: After?hours drop MarketWatch: Profit forecast sinks stock

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter worth about $353,000. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 638 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $386,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Ulta Beauty by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 864,621 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $523,104,000 after purchasing an additional 24,238 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased 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 valued at $139,756,000 after purchasing an additional 219,075 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in Ulta Beauty by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 35,404 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $21,420,000 after acquiring an additional 2,761 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.