Portolan Capital Management LLC Takes $7.27 Million Position in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)

Portolan Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 16,708 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $7,267,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ULTA. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 121.4% in the fourth quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 62 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 151.5% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 83 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in Ulta Beauty by 118.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 83 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 90.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ulta Beauty Trading Up 2.3 %

ULTA traded up $8.16 on Friday, hitting $357.75. 741,747 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,055,665. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $357.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $382.41. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a twelve month low of $309.01 and a twelve month high of $460.00. The firm has a market cap of $16.21 billion, a PE ratio of 14.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.16.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $8.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.13 by $1.33. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.47 billion. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 51.95% and a net margin of 10.58%. The business's revenue was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.08 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 23.96 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Argus downgraded Ulta Beauty from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $400.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $500.00 to $460.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $380.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $480.00 to $475.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Ulta Beauty currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $427.61.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 902 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $369.16, for a total transaction of $332,982.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,817,429.12. This trade represents a 10.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.39% 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.