Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $548.05.

ULTA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Loop Capital raised shares of Ulta Beauty from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $540.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $580.00 to $520.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Ulta Beauty from $480.00 to $525.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Raymond James lowered their price target on Ulta Beauty from $630.00 to $610.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $595.00 price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Friday, March 15th.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

ULTA stock opened at $397.39 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $486.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $468.89. The company has a market cap of $19.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.36. Ulta Beauty has a fifty-two week low of $368.02 and a fifty-two week high of $574.76.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 14th. The specialty retailer reported $8.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.49 by $0.59. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 61.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.68 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Ulta Beauty will post 26.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Ulta Beauty announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, March 14th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to purchase up to 7.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anita Jane Ryan sold 3,102 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.25, for a total value of $1,629,325.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,801.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Anita Jane Ryan sold 3,102 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.25, for a total transaction of $1,629,325.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 2,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,801.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $526.26, for a total transaction of $263,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $876,222.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,552 shares of company stock valued at $12,920,326 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ulta Beauty

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Ulta Beauty by 347.3% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 71,491 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $35,061,000 after acquiring an additional 55,508 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty in the fourth quarter worth $1,810,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 284,442 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $113,620,000 after buying an additional 2,126 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in Ulta Beauty by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 27,037 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,248,000 after buying an additional 1,662 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,188 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $582,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty, Inc operates as a specialty beauty retailer in the United States. The company offers branded and private label beauty products, including cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products, professional hair products, and salon styling tools through its Ulta Beauty stores, shop-in-shops, Ulta.com website, and its mobile applications.