Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 381 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $2,136,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of ULTA. Vima LLC bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 490.0% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 59 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Trading Down 4.0 %

ULTA stock opened at $352.84 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $372.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $424.67. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a 12-month low of $318.17 and a 12-month high of $574.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.84 billion, a PE ratio of 13.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.37.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $5.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.47 by ($0.17). Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 54.91% and a net margin of 10.68%. The business had revenue of $2.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.02 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 23.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Monday, August 26th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $507.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $325.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets cut 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 research note on Friday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $522.00 to $500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $436.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ulta Beauty

In other news, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 100 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.08, for a total value of $39,008.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,017 shares in the company, valued at $786,791.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Ulta Beauty 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,643,412.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.08, for a total value of $39,008.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 2,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $786,791.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company 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.