Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $27.70 Million Holdings in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 56,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,490 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $27,698,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Ulta Beauty by 347.3% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 71,491 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $35,061,000 after acquiring an additional 55,508 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the fourth quarter valued at $1,810,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Ulta Beauty by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 284,442 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $113,620,000 after purchasing an additional 2,126 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 27,037 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,248,000 after buying an additional 1,662 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,188 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $582,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ulta Beauty

In related news, insider Anita Jane Ryan sold 3,102 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $1,420,801.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 500 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $526.26, for a total value of $263,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $876,222.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anita Jane Ryan sold 3,102 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were 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 owns 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $1,420,801.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 24,552 shares of company stock worth $12,920,326 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ULTA opened at $402.11 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.36. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a 1 year low of $368.02 and a 1 year high of $574.76. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $492.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $469.32.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 14th. The specialty retailer reported $8.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.49 by $0.59. The business had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.53 billion. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 11.52% and a return on equity of 61.64%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.68 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 26.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Ulta Beauty declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, March 14th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 7.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ULTA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $480.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $575.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $505.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Ulta Beauty from $575.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $548.05.

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.