William Blair Research Analysts Cut Earnings Estimates for Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)

Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) – Stock analysts at William Blair decreased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Ulta Beauty in a report released on Friday, August 30th. William Blair analyst D. Carden now forecasts that the specialty retailer will post earnings per share of $6.40 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $6.96. The consensus estimate for Ulta Beauty’s current full-year earnings is $23.03 per share.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $5.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.47 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.61 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 54.91% and a net margin of 10.68%. The firm’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.02 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $522.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Barclays increased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $328.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Ulta Beauty from $450.00 to $435.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $500.00 to $385.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $436.83.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ULTA opened at $352.84 on Monday. Ulta Beauty has a one year low of $318.17 and a one year high of $574.76. The company has a market cap of $16.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.76, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $372.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $425.38.

Institutional Trading of Ulta Beauty

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ULTA. Vima LLC acquired a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 490.0% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 59 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 83.3% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 66 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $388.68, for a total transaction of $252,642.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,643,412.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $388.68, for a total value of $252,642.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,643,412.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $390.08, for a total value of $39,008.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,017 shares in the company, valued at $786,791.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.