PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Takes Position in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 18,622 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $11,266,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,376,848 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,253,047,000 after buying an additional 23,434 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 2.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,975,260 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,079,973,000 after purchasing an additional 44,182 shares during the period. Sanders Capital LLC increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 8.9% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 1,263,820 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $690,994,000 after purchasing an additional 103,540 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,240,210 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $747,587,000 after purchasing an additional 21,947 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 33.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 840,383 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $459,479,000 after purchasing an additional 211,485 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $650.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $631.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings lowered Ulta Beauty from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Ulta Beauty from $725.00 to $600.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Ulta Beauty from $712.00 to $647.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $651.73.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

NASDAQ ULTA opened at $467.07 on Friday. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $452.00 and a fifty-two week high of $714.97. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $521.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $583.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.86.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $7.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.89 by $0.85. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 9.36%.The business had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.70 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.360-28.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.67 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total transaction of $243,759.08. Following the sale, the director owned 2,383 shares in the company, valued at $1,285,128.07. This represents a 15.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: New commentary argued Ulta remains a solid growth stock, pointing to above-average financial growth and the potential to outperform the market. Is Ulta (ULTA) a Solid Growth Stock? 3 Reasons to Think “Yes”
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market notes highlighted strong demand for premium beauty brands, with Ulta’s latest results and raised outlook suggesting the business is still holding up well. Ulta Beauty Sales Jump On Strong Demand For Higher-End Beauty Brands
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple broker updates lifted price targets, including JPMorgan, Barclays, and Robert W. Baird, reinforcing Wall Street’s constructive view on Ulta’s rebound potential. Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Given New $631.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ulta’s presentation at the William Blair Growth Stock Conference kept the company in focus, but it did not appear to introduce a major new catalyst. Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA) Presents at 46th Annual William Blair Growth Stock Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: One retail-industry discussion emphasized that delivery reliability matters more than speed, which is relevant to Ulta’s operations but unlikely to move the stock on its own. Delivery reliability trumps speed, Macy’s and Ulta execs say
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the bullish long-term narrative, some coverage noted that the stock had been under pressure recently after earnings, suggesting investors remain cautious about near-term momentum. Ulta proves beauty’s resilience, but guidance raises questions over momentum

Ulta Beauty 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.