Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA Stock: Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Boosts Stake

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 14.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,037 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $4,390,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,827 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,141,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares during the period. Integrity Alliance LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 3.2% during the third quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 615 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the period. Gallacher Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the third quarter worth $315,000. First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the third quarter worth $253,000. Finally, Evergreen Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 3.9% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,420 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,237,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ULTA. Bank of America lowered their target price on Ulta Beauty from $685.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $670.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Ulta Beauty to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Ulta Beauty from $692.00 to $695.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $631.30.

Key Headlines Impacting Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ulta is adding beauty and wellness brands to its assortment: Abib is launching in more than 300 stores, DECORTÉ will sell select skincare products at selected locations, and Clöud Café is expanding its presence with a K-wellness endcap. Wider brand selection may support customer interest and sales, though the announcements do not quantify their expected contribution. Abib launch announcement DECORTÉ partnership announcement Clöud Café expansion announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Ulta’s holiday campaign featuring Selena Gomez, Tate McRae and Mrs. Claus could help raise visibility during the key seasonal shopping period. Ulta holiday campaign
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks coverage highlights investor attention and Ulta’s momentum-stock characteristics, but it offers no major new company development or earnings estimate change. Zacks investor-attention article
• Negative Sentiment: An opinion piece frames Black women’s move to Ulta salons as a warning rather than a solution, raising questions about whether the salon experience adequately meets their needs. The article could draw attention to customer inclusion and service quality, but it does not report a quantified business impact. Opinion on Black women and Ulta salons

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ULTA opened at $649.80 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $573.69 and its 200-day moving average is $553.92. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 52 week low of $443.60 and a 52 week high of $714.97. The firm has a market cap of $27.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.83.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $6.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.22 by $0.33. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 9.34% and a return on equity of 45.40%. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.78 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.700-29.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kecia Steelman sold 2,000 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $545.88, for a total value of $1,091,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,102,135.32. This trade represents a 4.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lorna Nagler sold 600 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $537.31, for a total value of $322,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,168 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,851,438.08. This trade represents a 7.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Profile

Ulta Beauty, Inc is a specialty beauty retailer that offers cosmetics, skincare, haircare, fragrance, bath and body products, beauty tools, and related accessories. Its assortment includes national and emerging brands, prestige and mass-market products, and Ulta Beauty’s private-label merchandise. The company also provides salon services, including hair styling, haircuts, coloring, and treatments, along with brow and skin services in many of its locations.

Founded in 1990 as Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, the company operates primarily in the United States through a network of retail stores and digital channels, including its website and mobile application.