Equitable Holdings Inc. Buys New Shares in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Equitable Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 1,195 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $539,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter valued at $838,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 2nd quarter worth $6,465,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 2nd quarter worth $2,313,000. Redwood Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter worth $1,176,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 2nd quarter worth $5,044,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ULTA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $700.00 price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Friday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $647.00 to $645.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $626.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ulta Beauty

In other news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 383 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.84, for a total value of $182,246.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,143,919.36. This represents a 13.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Ulta reported $6.55 in EPS versus the $6.20 consensus and revenue of approximately $3.04 billion, up 8.9% year over year and ahead of the $2.99 billion estimate. Comparable sales rose 3.8%, while digital sales, loyalty growth, new brands and stronger execution supported performance. Ulta Beauty Q2 Earnings Beat as Sales Rise, FY26 View Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Ulta raised its fiscal 2026 outlook and expanded capital returns. The company now expects EPS of $28.70–$29.00, up from $28.36–$28.80, and revenue of roughly $13.2–$13.3 billion. It also increased its planned share repurchases to $1.8 billion, which could provide support for per-share earnings. Ulta Beauty Targets Sales Growth and Buybacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive, but estimates are mixed. DA Davidson raised its price target to $625 and maintained a Buy rating, while Bank of America lowered its target to $650 but also kept a Buy rating. The conflicting revisions suggest confidence in Ulta’s long-term share gains, alongside caution about valuation and execution risks.
• Negative Sentiment: The market reaction reflects concerns about forward momentum. Management indicated that third-quarter comparable-sales comparisons may be weaker than fourth-quarter comparisons, increasing the risk of a temporary slowdown. Investors are also focused on Target’s rollout of its own Beauty Studio in more than 600 stores, including five former Ulta locations in South Carolina, potentially intensifying competition for prestige beauty customers. Ulta is responding by emphasizing exclusive products and brand differentiation. Ulta Leans Into Exclusivity Amid Target Competition

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ULTA opened at $517.50 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $497.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $533.60. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a twelve month low of $443.60 and a twelve month high of $714.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.86, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.87.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $6.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.22 by $0.33. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 45.40% and a net margin of 9.34%.The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.78 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.700-29.000 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.9 earnings per share for the current year.

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.