Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) Stake Lessened by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its stake in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,279 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 45 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $1,426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 118.4% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 83 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 151.5% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 83 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the third quarter valued at $41,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ ULTA opened at $361.54 on Monday. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a twelve month low of $318.17 and a twelve month high of $574.76. The company has a market capitalization of $16.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.47, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $408.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $387.54.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The specialty retailer reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.69. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 51.95%. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.07 EPS. Ulta Beauty’s revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 23.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $410.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $500.00 price target on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $470.00 to $490.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $450.00 to $457.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $460.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $459.22.

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.