Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) Shares Bought by Running Oak Capital LLC

Running Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) by 20.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,712 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,198 shares during the quarter. Ulta Beauty makes up 1.8% of Running Oak Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Running Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Ulta Beauty were worth $9,169,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 347.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 71,491 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $35,061,000 after purchasing an additional 55,508 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,810,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,662 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,188 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $582,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.39% of the company’s stock.

Ulta Beauty Stock Down 1.2 %

ULTA traded down $4.78 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $397.33. The company had a trading volume of 638,892 shares, compared to its average volume of 765,653. Ulta Beauty, Inc. has a 52 week low of $368.02 and a 52 week high of $574.76. The company has a market capitalization of $19.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $492.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $469.32.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) last issued 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 period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.68 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ulta Beauty, Inc. will post 26.55 EPS for the current year.

Ulta Beauty announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, March 14th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to repurchase 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 stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on ULTA shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Ulta Beauty from $575.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Ulta Beauty from $600.00 to $500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ulta Beauty from $485.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Barclays downgraded Ulta Beauty from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $612.00 to $434.00 in a research report on Monday. 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 issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $548.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $526.26, for a total value of $263,130.00. Following the transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Anita Jane Ryan sold 3,102 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 2,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,420,801.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Catherine Ann Halligan sold 500 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $526.26, for a total transaction of $263,130.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $876,222.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,552 shares of company stock worth $12,920,326 in the last three months. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.