With a market cap of\u00a0$30.6 billion, Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA) is a specialty beauty retailer offering a wide range of branded and private-label products across cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, and bath and body, along with in-store beauty services such as hair, makeup, brow, and skin treatments. It operates across the United States, Mexico, and Kuwait through its stores, digital platforms, and mobile applications.<\/p>\n
Shares of the beauty products retailer have surpassed the broader market over the past 52 weeks.\u00a0ULTA stock has surged 91.7% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has\u00a0gained 12.3%. Moreover, shares of the company are up 14.1% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX\u2019s marginal rise.<\/p>\n
Narrowing the focus, shares of the Bolingbrook, Illinois-based company have outpaced the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF\u2019s (XLY)\u00a03% return over the past 52 weeks.<\/p>\n Shares of Ulta Beauty jumped 12.7% following its\u00a0Q3 2025 results on Dec. 4 that\u00a0beat expectations, with EPS of $5.14 and revenue of $2.86 billion. Investor optimism was further driven by strong operating momentum, including a 12.9% year-over-year increase in net sales, 6.3% comparable sales growth, and gross margin expansion to 40.4%. The rally was reinforced by Ulta raising its full-year fiscal 2025 guidance, projecting approximately $12.3 billion in net sales and higher EPS of $25.20 to $25.50.<\/p>\n For the fiscal year that ended in January 2026, analysts expect ULTA\u2019s\u00a0EPS to rise marginally year-over-year to $25.56. The company\u2019s earnings surprise history is promising. It beat the consensus estimates in the last four quarters.<\/p>\n Among the 26 analysts covering the stock, the\u00a0consensus rating is a \u201cModerate Buy.\u201d That\u2019s based on 15 \u201cStrong Buy\u201d ratings, one \u201cModerate Buy,\u201d nine \u201cHolds,\u201d and one \u201cStrong Sell.\u201d<\/p>\n On Jan. 7, Barclays analyst Adrienne Yih maintained a \u201cBuy\u201d rating on Ulta Beauty with a\u00a0price target of $680.<\/p>\n As of writing, the stock is trading above the mean price target of $682.27. The Street-high price target of $790 suggests a 15.3% potential upside.<\/p>\n On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally\u00a0published on Barchart.com <\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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