The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Buys New Position in Ulta Beauty Inc. $ULTA

Posted by George Bondi on Aug 30th, 2026

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 21,817 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $9,839,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.05% of Ulta Beauty as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of Ulta Beauty by 231.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 3,744 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,372,000 after acquiring an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Ulta Beauty by 48.9% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 4,795 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,758,000 after purchasing an additional 1,574 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the second quarter worth $466,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in Ulta Beauty in the second quarter valued at $1,196,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in Ulta Beauty by 0.9% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 7,475 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,497,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 90.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ulta Beauty

In other Ulta Beauty news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 383 shares of Ulta Beauty stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.84, for a total transaction of $182,246.72. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,143,919.36. The trade was a 13.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on ULTA shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Ulta Beauty from $700.00 to $630.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Bank of America dropped their price target on Ulta Beauty from $685.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on Ulta Beauty from $799.00 to $731.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Ulta Beauty from $585.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Evercore set a $635.00 price objective on Ulta Beauty in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ulta Beauty has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $626.59.

Read Our Latest Report on ULTA

Key Headlines Impacting Ulta Beauty

Here are the key news stories impacting Ulta Beauty this week:

Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Ulta reported $6.55 in EPS versus the $6.20 consensus and revenue of approximately $3.04 billion, up 8.9% year over year and ahead of the $2.99 billion estimate. Comparable sales rose 3.8%, while digital sales, loyalty growth, new brands and stronger execution supported performance. Ulta Beauty Q2 Earnings Beat as Sales Rise, FY26 View Raised
Positive Sentiment: Ulta raised its fiscal 2026 outlook and expanded capital returns. The company now expects EPS of $28.70–$29.00, up from $28.36–$28.80, and revenue of roughly $13.2–$13.3 billion. It also increased its planned share repurchases to $1.8 billion, which could provide support for per-share earnings. Ulta Beauty Targets Sales Growth and Buybacks
Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive, but estimates are mixed. DA Davidson raised its price target to $625 and maintained a Buy rating, while Bank of America lowered its target to $650 but also kept a Buy rating. The conflicting revisions suggest confidence in Ulta’s long-term share gains, alongside caution about valuation and execution risks.
Negative Sentiment: The market reaction reflects concerns about forward momentum. Management indicated that third-quarter comparable-sales comparisons may be weaker than fourth-quarter comparisons, increasing the risk of a temporary slowdown. Investors are also focused on Target’s rollout of its own Beauty Studio in more than 600 stores, including five former Ulta locations in South Carolina, potentially intensifying competition for prestige beauty customers. Ulta is responding by emphasizing exclusive products and brand differentiation. Ulta Leans Into Exclusivity Amid Target Competition

Ulta Beauty Stock Down 4.2%

Shares of Ulta Beauty stock opened at $517.50 on Friday. Ulta Beauty Inc. has a 52 week low of $443.60 and a 52 week high of $714.97. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $497.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $534.74. The company has a market cap of $22.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.87.

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $6.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.22 by $0.33. Ulta Beauty had a return on equity of 45.28% and a net margin of 9.34%.The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.78 earnings per share. Ulta Beauty’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Ulta Beauty has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.700-29.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ulta Beauty Inc. will post 28.9 EPS for the current year.

About Ulta Beauty

(Free Report)

Ulta Beauty, Inc (NASDAQ: ULTA) is a U.S.-based specialty retailer and beauty services provider focused on cosmetics, fragrance, skin care, hair care, bath and body, and beauty tools. The company operates a dual-format business that combines brick-and-mortar retail stores with an e-commerce platform, offering a broad assortment of national, prestige and mass-market brands alongside its own private-label products. In many locations Ulta also provides full-service salon treatments, positioning the company as a one-stop destination for product discovery and in-store services.

The retailer’s product mix spans color cosmetics, haircare and styling products, skin and body care, fragrance, and accessories, catering to a wide range of consumer preferences and price points.