Aviva PLC Has $38.01 Million Holdings in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)

Aviva PLC cut its stake in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA – Get Rating) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,186 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 644 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.17% of Ulta Beauty worth $38,012,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dixon Hughes Goodman Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 525.0% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 75 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Ulta Beauty in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 72.0% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 86 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. 89.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Shares of NASDAQ ULTA traded down $3.46 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $377.63. 29,658 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 694,091. The stock has a market cap of $19.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.18, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.54. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $395.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $387.54. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a 1-year low of $299.77 and a 1-year high of $438.63.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 10th. The specialty retailer reported $5.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.61 by $0.80. Ulta Beauty had a net margin of 11.42% and a return on equity of 54.42%. The business had revenue of $2.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 18.54 EPS for the current year.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $475.00 to $465.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 19th. Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Ulta Beauty from $485.00 to $450.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 26th. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Ulta Beauty from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $450.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 20th. Credit Suisse Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $455.00 price target on shares of Ulta Beauty in a research report on Friday, March 11th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Ulta Beauty from $500.00 to $450.00 in a research report on Friday, March 11th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $448.86.

In other news, insider Jodi J. Caro sold 5,340 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.54, for a total transaction of $2,053,443.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

About Ulta Beauty (Get Rating)

Ulta Beauty, Inc operates as a retailer of beauty products in the United States. The company's stores offer cosmetics, fragrances, skincare and haircare products, bath and body products, and salon styling tools; professional hair products; salon services, including hair, skin, makeup, and brow services; and nail services.

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