Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

12 Mar 2026, 21:52 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA – Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The specialty retailer reported $8.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.93 by $0.08, FiscalAI reports. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 46.33% and a net margin of 9.93%.The company had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.81 billion. Ulta Beauty updated its FY 2026 guidance to 28.050-28.550 EPS.

Ulta Beauty Trading Down 4.3%

Shares of Ulta Beauty stock traded down $27.95 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $624.70. The stock had a trading volume of 1,402,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 546,115. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.82. Ulta Beauty has a 1 year low of $309.01 and a 1 year high of $714.97. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $666.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $586.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ULTA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Ulta Beauty in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $700.00 target price for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Ulta Beauty from $674.00 to $799.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $725.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $640.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $638.12.

View Our Latest Report on Ulta Beauty

Institutional Trading of Ulta Beauty

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ULTA. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 1,837.4% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 230,998 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $139,756,000 after buying an additional 219,075 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Ulta Beauty by 33.6% during the third 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 period. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec increased its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 249.8% in the third quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 295,833 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $161,747,000 after acquiring an additional 211,266 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty by 76.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 477,504 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $222,794,000 after acquiring an additional 207,084 shares during the period. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 74.6% during the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 456,613 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $249,653,000 after acquiring an additional 195,041 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Company beat near-term expectations and issued above-consensus FY2026 guidance: Q4 revenue of $3.90B topped estimates and the company gave FY2026 EPS of $28.05–28.55 (above consensus) and revenue guidance of ~$13.1–13.3B. This supports upside to estimates if management executes. Read More.
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains largely favorable despite the pullback: multiple firms maintain buys/outsperform ratings and the median price target sits well above current levels, indicating continued analyst confidence if growth reaccelerates. Read More.
Negative Sentiment: Profitability and cash concerns weighed on the stock: operating profit, net income and diluted EPS all declined year‑over‑year, cash and cash equivalents fell sharply while capex jumped ~159% — signalling higher near-term investment that is compressing margins and free cash. Read More.
Negative Sentiment: Management flagged slower top-line momentum: the company expects sales growth of ~6–7% for the fiscal year versus ~9.7% last year, which tempered enthusiasm for near-term expansion. Read More.
Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell in extended trading despite the revenue/EPS beats — investors focused on declining margins, cash drawdown and heavier capex. Read More. Read More.

About Ulta Beauty

(Get Free Report)

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.