Why Ulta Beauty (ULTA) Stock Is Up Today

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) is up 4.5% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The most likely driver appears to be a continued positive read-through from Ulta Beauty’s strong first-quarter fiscal 2026 results and higher full-year profit outlook, with investors also reacting favorably to newer brand and partnership initiatives. There does not appear to be one single market-moving filing today, so this could also reflect momentum buying after recent expansion news and ahead of the company’s next earnings call.

Details:

Ulta Beauty’s latest quarterly update showed net sales rising 11.1% to $3.2 billion, comparable sales up 5.3%, and diluted earnings per share up 15.5% to $7.74.

Management raised fiscal 2026 diluted earnings per share guidance to $28.36 to $28.80, while keeping projected net sales growth at 6% to 7%.

A recent company filing announced a new chief technology officer, which may support investor confidence in digital execution and long-term operating initiatives.

Recent merchandising and partnership activity, including the rollout of Bath & Body Works products in more than 600 stores and a newly announced Pacsun collaboration, may be reinforcing the view that Ulta is still finding new ways to drive traffic and basket growth.

Sources:

Ulta Beauty Investor Relations, SEC, Retail Dive, PR Newswire

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$ULTA Insider Trading Activity

$ULTA insiders have traded $ULTA stock on the open market 2 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 2 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $ULTA stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

GEORGE R JR MRKONIC has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 835 shares for an estimated $426,005.

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.

$ULTA Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 434 institutional investors add shares of $ULTA stock to their portfolio, and 541 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

DIAMANT ASSET MANAGEMENT, INC. added 1,471,222 shares (+52171.0%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $769,022,451
SANDERS CAPITAL, LLC added 644,403 shares (+51.0%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $336,835,892
MARSHALL WACE, LLP removed 478,172 shares (-99.9%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $249,945,286
AGF MANAGEMENT LTD removed 349,598 shares (-98.1%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $182,738,370
1832 ASSET MANAGEMENT L.P. removed 231,637 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $121,078,976
CORIENT PRIVATE WEALTH LLC removed 218,702 shares (-94.7%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $114,317,722
AQR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC added 206,553 shares (+69.3%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $107,967,318

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

$ULTA Congressional Stock Trading

Members of Congress have traded $ULTA stock 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 1 have been purchases and 0 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $ULTA stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:

REPRESENTATIVE MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR purchased up to $50,000 on 03/19.

To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard. You can access data on congressional stock trades through the Quiver Quantitative API Congress trades endpoint.

$ULTA Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $ULTA recently. We have seen 17 analysts offer price targets for $ULTA in the last 6 months, with a median target of $635.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Oliver Chen from TD Cowen set a target price of $600.0 on 06/09/2026
Steven Zaccone from Citigroup set a target price of $560.0 on 06/04/2026
Ike Boruchow from Wells Fargo set a target price of $450.0 on 06/03/2026
Michael Lasser from UBS set a target price of $735.0 on 06/03/2026
Christopher Horvers from JP Morgan set a target price of $631.0 on 06/03/2026
Kate McShane from Goldman Sachs set a target price of $652.0 on 06/03/2026
Simeon Gutman from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $630.0 on 06/03/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.