Avalon Trust Co Buys 275 Shares of Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)

Avalon Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,085 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the quarter. Ulta Beauty comprises 1.5% of Avalon Trust Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Avalon Trust Co’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $16,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ulta Beauty during the 4th quarter worth $288,000. Todd Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 37.2% during the fourth quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 50,452 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $24,721,000 after acquiring an additional 13,673 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 95.9% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 143 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Running Oak Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 18,712 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $9,169,000 after purchasing an additional 3,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments lifted its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 3,303 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,618,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Ulta Beauty from $574.00 to $627.00 in a report on Friday, March 15th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $575.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $595.00 price target on shares of Ulta Beauty in a report on Friday, March 15th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $656.00 to $635.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Ulta Beauty from $450.00 to $350.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $548.05.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Kecia Steelman sold 20,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $526.39, for a total transaction of $11,027,870.50. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 10,494 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,523,936.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Anita Jane Ryan sold 3,102 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $525.25, for a total value of $1,629,325.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,801.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Kecia Steelman sold 20,950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $526.39, for a total value of $11,027,870.50. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 10,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,523,936.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,552 shares of company stock worth $12,920,326. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ulta Beauty Stock Performance

Ulta Beauty stock traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $397.39. 591,398 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 796,369. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a 12 month low of $368.02 and a 12 month high of $574.76. The business’s 50-day moving average is $489.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $468.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.36.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 14th. The specialty retailer reported $8.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.49 by $0.59. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 61.64% and a net margin of 11.52%. The business had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.68 EPS. Ulta Beauty’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 26.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ulta Beauty announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, March 14th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 7.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Ulta Beauty 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.