Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Sells 12,399 Shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 36.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,793 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 12,399 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $9,828,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in Ulta Beauty in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 860.0% during the first quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 48 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 4,200.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 43 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the first quarter worth about $29,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ulta Beauty Stock Up 3.8%

NASDAQ ULTA opened at $537.10 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $499.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $532.60. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 12-month low of $443.60 and a 12-month high of $714.97. The firm has a market cap of $22.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.57, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 383 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.84, for a total transaction of $182,246.72. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,404 shares in the company, valued at $1,143,919.36. This trade represents a 13.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ulta reported approximately $3.04 billion in quarterly sales, up 8.9% year over year, while comparable sales rose 3.8%. Diluted EPS increased 13.3% to $6.55, exceeding the $6.22 analyst consensus, and operating income grew 10.1%. Ulta Beauty Rises on Strong Quarterly Results and Higher Full-Year Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its fiscal 2026 outlook for sales growth, comparable sales, operating income and EPS, reinforcing investor confidence in demand and profitability. The company’s existing EPS guidance was $28.70-$29.00, broadly consistent with the $28.90 analyst expectation. Ulta Beauty Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Ulta increased its planned fiscal 2026 share repurchases to $1.8 billion from $1.5 billion and expects to use the remaining authorization by year-end. Buybacks could support EPS and signal confidence in future cash generation. Ulta Beauty Rises on Strong Quarterly Results and Higher Full-Year Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The earnings call highlighted momentum from TikTok Shop, adding a potentially important digital sales channel and source of future customer engagement. Ulta Beauty Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst targets remain mixed but generally above the current trading level, with recent targets ranging from $450 to $700 and a six-month median of $635. Bank of America lowered its target to $650, while DA Davidson raised its target to $625. Bank of America Lowers Ulta Beauty Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Target’s move to develop a new in-store beauty concept after ending its Ulta partnership could increase competitive pressure, although the near-term effect on Ulta’s results is uncertain. Target Launches a New Inside Beauty Store

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ULTA has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $725.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Argus set a $550.00 target price on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Evercore set a $635.00 target price on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Ulta Beauty from $730.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $700.00 to $630.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $626.59.

Ulta Beauty Company Profile

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.