Swedbank AB Increases Stock Holdings in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 581,506 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,456 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned approximately 1.30% of Ulta Beauty worth $317,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 654,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $306,234,000 after acquiring an additional 56,063 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 5.4% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 582,635 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $272,568,000 after purchasing an additional 30,100 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ulta Beauty during the second quarter worth approximately $258,791,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Ulta Beauty by 76.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 477,504 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $222,794,000 after purchasing an additional 207,084 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 474,914 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $174,075,000 after purchasing an additional 37,105 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

Ulta Beauty stock opened at $604.09 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.80 billion, a PE ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.87. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a one year low of $309.01 and a one year high of $616.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $542.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $520.43.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 4th. The specialty retailer reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.61 by $0.53. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.93% and a return on equity of 46.33%. The company had revenue of $2.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.14 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.200-25.500 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 23.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ULTA. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $425.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $653.00 to $674.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Piper Sandler set a $615.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $600.00 to $640.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Sunday, December 7th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $576.50.

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.