Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) is a leading beauty retailer in the United States, offering a wide range of cosmetics, skincare, and haircare products. The company operates over 1,200 stores across the country and competes with other major beauty retailers like Sephora. Ulta is known for its diverse product offerings and in-store salon services, which attract a broad customer base.
On March 13, 2026, Michael Lasser from UBS set a price target of $810 for ULTA, suggesting a potential upside of approximately 48.20% from its then-current price of $546.56. This optimistic outlook contrasts with recent market performance, where Ulta's shares dropped nearly 11% to around $557 after a disappointing quarterly profit report. The stock's decline made it the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500 on that day.
Ulta's fourth-quarter earnings per share were $8.01, missing analyst estimates by 2 cents, although its revenue of $3.9 billion exceeded expectations. Despite this revenue beat, the company's forecast for 2026, with comparable store sales growth of 2.5% to 3.5% and earnings per share between $28.05 and $28.55, fell short of analysts' consensus projections. This weaker-than-expected outlook has shaken investor confidence.
The current stock price of ULTA is $547.16, reflecting a decrease of $77.54 or approximately -12.41% in percentage terms. Today, the stock has fluctuated between a low of $545.71 and a high of $579.45. Over the past year, ULTA has reached a high of $714.97 and a low of $323.37. The company's market capitalization stands at approximately $24.53 billion, with a trading volume of around 1.60 million shares on the NASDAQ exchange.
Despite a recent rally driven by strong consumer spending on beauty and self-care products, analysts at Oppenheimer have reduced their price target for Ulta from $750 to $650. They cite concerns over economic and geopolitical factors as reasons for this adjustment. This highlights the challenges Ulta faces in maintaining investor confidence amid a volatile market environment.
