Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) Holdings Boosted by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC boosted its position in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA - Free Report) by 7.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,399 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,128 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned about 0.06% of Ulta Beauty worth $12,787,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Ulta Beauty by 28.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 166 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ulta Beauty by 199.5% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 4,646 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,021,000 after acquiring an additional 3,095 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 3,973 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,663,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Buckhead Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Buckhead Capital Management LLC now owns 12,088 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $5,257,000 after purchasing an additional 1,633 shares during the period. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management purchased a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $348,000. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Ulta Beauty Trading Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ ULTA traded up $6.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $361.46. 943,145 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,059,092. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a 1-year low of $309.01 and a 1-year high of $460.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $360.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $383.29. The company has a market cap of $16.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.16.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The specialty retailer reported $8.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.13 by $1.33. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 51.95%. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.08 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 23.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 902 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 7,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,817,429.12. This represents a 10.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $467.00 to $404.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $400.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com raised Ulta Beauty from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $405.00 to $365.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, B. Riley decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $430.00 to $330.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $427.61.

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.