George Mrkonic, Jr. Sells 452 Shares of Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Stock

Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) Director George Mrkonic, Jr. sold 452 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $539.29, for a total value of $243,759.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,285,128.07. This represents a 15.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Ulta Beauty Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ ULTA opened at $532.82 on Thursday. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 52 week low of $325.64 and a 52 week high of $714.97. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $616.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $587.88. The company has a market cap of $23.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.95.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.08. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 43.56% and a net margin of 9.31%.The business had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.050-28.550 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 23.96 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ULTA shares. Barclays lifted their price target on Ulta Beauty from $680.00 to $712.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $700.00 price target on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $732.00 price target on Ulta Beauty in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $750.00 to $650.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $671.27.

Institutional Trading of Ulta Beauty

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ULTA. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter worth approximately $430,963,000. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its position in Ulta Beauty by 339.6% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 379,939 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $207,732,000 after buying an additional 293,516 shares during the last quarter. Andra AP fonden lifted its position in Ulta Beauty by 351,900.0% in the 3rd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 228,800 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $125,096,000 after buying an additional 228,735 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Ulta Beauty by 1,837.4% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 230,998 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $139,756,000 after buying an additional 219,075 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Ulta Beauty by 33.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 840,383 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $459,479,000 after buying an additional 211,485 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ulta Beauty

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ulta continues to win fast‑growing indie brands: Scarlet by RedDrop rebranded and launched into Ulta stores, reporting roughly $15M in overall revenue — a sign Ulta’s assortment and partner distribution can drive incremental sales and broaden appeal. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying demand remains resilient: Q4 comps rose ~5.8% and revenue hit $3.9B, supporting management’s FY guidance and indicating shoppers remain engaged while value‑focused — a near‑term sales tailwind. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support for sustainable margin improvement: UBS said Ulta can sustain growth while moderating operating cost growth, implying potential profitability upside if investment spend is trimmed. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wellness and device category expansion: Therabody is rolling out to 1,000+ Ulta stores and Ulta.com, strengthening Ulta’s Wellness positioning and raising average basket potential for in‑store and e‑commerce channels. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Retail trend tailwinds: CEO remarks that GLP‑1 weight‑loss effects are boosting demand for hair‑loss and skin‑elasticity products — an emerging category tailwind that could lift same‑store sales in key categories. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor outreach/visibility: Ulta presented at the J.P. Morgan retail forum (transcript available) — useful for longer‑term modeling but not an immediate earnings catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director George R. Mrkonic Jr. sold 452 shares (~$244k at ~ $539.29 avg), cutting his holding by ~15.9% — a potential short‑term negative signal that some insiders are taking profits. Read More.

About Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty, Inc (NASDAQ: ULTA) is a U.S.-based specialty retailer and beauty services provider focused on cosmetics, fragrance, skin care, hair care, bath and body, and beauty tools. The company operates a dual-format business that combines brick-and-mortar retail stores with an e-commerce platform, offering a broad assortment of national, prestige and mass-market brands alongside its own private-label products. In many locations Ulta also provides full-service salon treatments, positioning the company as a one-stop destination for product discovery and in-store services.

The retailer’s product mix spans color cosmetics, haircare and styling products, skin and body care, fragrance, and accessories, catering to a wide range of consumer preferences and price points.