Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Trading Down 1.2%

Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) was down 1.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $373.00 and last traded at $376.52. Approximately 335,774 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 876,262 shares. The stock had previously closed at $380.92.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $394.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $438.00 to $412.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $350.00 to $325.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Ulta Beauty from $625.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $500.00 price target on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, July 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $494.83.

Ulta Beauty Trading Down 1.5 %

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $374.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $432.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.37.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 30th. The specialty retailer reported $6.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.19 by $0.28. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 58.06% and a net margin of 11.13%. The business had revenue of $2.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.88 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 25.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ulta Beauty

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 100 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at $786,791.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $388.68, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.08, for a total transaction of $39,008.00. Following the sale, 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. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Vima LLC bought a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 490.0% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 59 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. 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.