Zacks Research Forecasts Stronger Earnings for Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research raised their FY2026 earnings estimates for Ulta Beauty in a report released on Thursday, September 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the specialty retailer will earn $23.97 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $23.04. The consensus estimate for Ulta Beauty’s current full-year earnings is $23.96 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Ulta Beauty’s Q2 2027 earnings at $6.10 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $7.70 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $26.50 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $6.99 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $30.60 EPS.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 28th. The specialty retailer reported $5.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.03 by $0.75. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.66 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 48.78%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.30 earnings per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $605.00 price objective (up from $580.00) on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $575.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Loop Capital restated a “hold” rating and set a $510.00 price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, July 25th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $525.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $543.13.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ULTA opened at $524.60 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $515.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $446.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.06. Ulta Beauty has a fifty-two week low of $309.01 and a fifty-two week high of $539.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 107.7% in the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 54 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. Hemington Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 142.9% in the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 68 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 218.5% in the first quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 86 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mike C. Smith sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $528.43, for a total value of $264,215.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,195,837.09. This represents a 18.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

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.