Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Stock Price

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) had its target price lifted by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $455.00 to $475.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.42% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Ulta Beauty from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $385.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $450.00 to $440.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $335.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $442.00 to $476.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $458.78.

Ulta Beauty Trading Down 3.1 %

ULTA opened at $415.14 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50 day moving average of $400.28 and a 200-day moving average of $383.64. Ulta Beauty has a 1-year low of $318.17 and a 1-year high of $574.76.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.69. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 51.95% and a net margin of 10.58%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.07 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ulta Beauty will post 23.57 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ulta Beauty

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ULTA. Paladin Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ulta Beauty in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 118.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 83 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 151.5% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 83 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty in the 3rd quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Company Profile

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.