Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Invests $49.96 Million in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 110,776 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $49,958,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ULTA. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,376,848 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,253,047,000 after acquiring an additional 23,434 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,815,712,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,025,565 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,225,487,000 after purchasing an additional 50,305 shares during the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ulta Beauty by 52,171.0% during the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,474,042 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $77,050,000 after purchasing an additional 1,471,222 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $747,587,000 after purchasing an additional 21,947 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on ULTA shares. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $712.00 to $647.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $631.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Evercore set a $635.00 target price on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $450.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $638.09.

Ulta Beauty Stock Up 3.3%

ULTA opened at $538.76 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $23.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.87. The business’s 50 day moving average is $491.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $537.86. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 52 week low of $443.60 and a 52 week high of $714.97.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 2nd. The specialty retailer reported $7.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.89 by $0.85. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.36% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.70 EPS. Ulta Beauty’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.360-28.800 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 383 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.84, for a total value of $182,246.72. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,143,919.36. This trade represents a 13.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Buy rating and maintained a $735 price target, citing durable growth prospects. Canaccord Genuity also reiterated its Buy rating and kept a $731 target, pointing to the company’s “Ulta Beauty Unleashed” strategy. These targets imply substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. UBS Ulta Beauty Buy Rating Article Canaccord Genuity Ulta Beauty Buy Rating Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Ulta’s second-quarter revenue and earnings to grow, supported by resilient beauty demand, digital gains and the Space NK business. The company’s prior quarter also exceeded consensus estimates, with revenue up 11.1% year over year and EPS of $7.74 versus the $6.89 estimate. Ulta Beauty Q2 Earnings Preview
• Positive Sentiment: GuruFocus’s valuation analysis characterized ULTA as undervalued following its recent rally, potentially attracting investors who believe the shares still have room to recover toward historical highs. GuruFocus Ulta Beauty Valuation Article
• Positive Sentiment: Ulta filed plans for a new store in Huber Heights, Ohio, signaling ongoing physical expansion and potential future sales growth. Ulta Beauty Huber Heights Store Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-market activity suggests traders are positioning for a potentially significant move in ULTA, though the direction is uncertain and the activity may increase volatility rather than establish a clear bullish signal. Ulta Beauty Options Activity Article
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat earnings outlook, analysts note possible margin pressure, making profitability and guidance important risks when Ulta reports results.

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.