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Ulta Beauty (ULTA)
NASDAQ:ULTA

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) AI Stock Analysis

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UL

Ulta Beauty

(NASDAQ:ULTA)

Rating:78Outperform
Price Target:
$521.00
▲(13.47%Upside)
Ulta Beauty's overall score reflects its strong financial health and positive earnings call outcomes, despite some technical overbought signals and valuation concerns. The company's expansion strategy and digital initiatives provide a favorable long-term outlook, but near-term economic uncertainties and margin pressures present risks.
Positive Factors
Earnings
ULTA's results were well-above expectations in terms of comparable sales and margins, leading to a significant EPS upside.
Market Position
ULTA is the only national beauty retailer to offer both prestige and mass products, as well as services and a market-leading hair care assortment.
Strategy Execution
Strong execution by Ulta Beauty is driving better-than-expected financial performance, with competitive pressures decreasing.
Negative Factors
Consumer Spending
A pullback in consumer spending presents a greater risk to sales and margins than tariffs.
Margin Pressure
Sales opportunities are balanced by near-term margin pressure as management reinvests in the business.
Retail Channel Risk
The primary risk as seen is the risk of cannibalization of the retail channel, which could hit margins harder moving through the year and into 2026.

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Ulta Beauty Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionUlta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA) is a leading beauty retailer in the United States, offering a comprehensive range of cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, and haircare products. The company operates a chain of retail stores and an e-commerce site, providing customers with access to over 25,000 products from approximately 500 well-established and emerging beauty brands. Ulta Beauty also offers a full-service salon in every store, featuring hair, skin, and brow services. With a focus on providing an inclusive and welcoming shopping experience, Ulta Beauty caters to a diverse customer base with varying beauty needs and preferences.
How the Company Makes MoneyUlta Beauty generates revenue primarily through the sale of beauty products across multiple categories, including cosmetics, skincare, haircare, and fragrance. The company's revenue model is centered around its retail operations, both in physical stores and online, where it sells products from a wide array of well-known brands. Additionally, Ulta Beauty earns money through its salon services, which offer hair, skin, and brow treatments to customers seeking personalized beauty services. The company's loyalty program, Ultamate Rewards, also plays a critical role in driving repeat business and customer engagement. Key revenue streams for Ulta Beauty include product sales, salon services, and membership fees from its rewards program. Strong vendor partnerships and exclusive product launches further contribute to Ulta Beauty's earnings, enhancing its appeal to a broad customer demographic.

Ulta Beauty Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Store Count
Store Count
Indicates the total number of retail locations, highlighting the company's physical footprint and expansion strategy. A growing store count can signal market penetration and revenue growth potential.
Chart InsightsUlta Beauty's store count has been steadily increasing, with a notable expansion in 2024, adding 60 net new stores and planning further international growth into Mexico and the Middle East in 2025. Despite this expansion, the company faces challenges with decreased sales and market share loss in the beauty category due to increased competition. Strategic investments in brand building and digital acceleration under the 'Ulta Beauty Unleashed' plan aim to counter these challenges, though they may pressure profitability in the short term.
Data provided by:Main Street Data

Ulta Beauty Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:May 30, 2025
(Q1-2025)
|
% Change Since: -2.61%|
Next Earnings Date:Aug 28, 2025
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The earnings call reflects a balanced view with notable achievements in sales growth, brand engagement, and digital sales. However, challenges such as profit margin decline and uncertainties in the economic outlook weigh against these positives.
Q1-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Net Sales and Earnings Growth
Net sales increased 4.5% to $2.8 billion, with diluted earnings per share reaching $6.70, reflecting better than planned financial performance.
Record Loyalty Membership
The active loyalty member base expanded to a record 45 million, up 3% year over year, driving higher engagement and brand visibility.
Fragrance Category Success
Fragrance was the strongest performing category, delivering double-digit growth driven by newness in women's and gender-neutral fragrance brands.
E-commerce Performance
E-commerce sales increased about 10%, with more than 60% of e-commerce sales coming from the app, indicating strong digital engagement.
New Brand Launches
Ulta launched 19 new brands, many exclusive, including Tatcha, Milk Makeup, and Ilia, driving strong guest engagement.
Negative Updates
Profit Margin Decline
Operating margin decreased 60 basis points to 14.1% of sales, impacted by higher store payroll and expenses.
Skincare and Hair Care Challenges
Prestige skincare was flat, and mass skincare decreased modestly. Hair care was roughly flat with some category declines.
Makeup Category Decline
Comp sales in the makeup category decreased slightly, driven by mass makeup, although prestige makeup was flat.
Uncertain Economic Outlook
Cautious approach to fiscal 2025 guidance due to macroeconomic uncertainties and evolving global trade landscape.
Company Guidance
In Ulta Beauty, Inc.'s first quarter earnings call for fiscal 2025, the company reported a 4.5% increase in net sales, reaching $2.8 billion, with operating profit at 14.1% of sales and diluted earnings per share of $6.70. The quarter saw positive responses to strategic actions such as improved execution, new brand launches, and marketing initiatives, leading to market share gains. Key performance indicators improved, including member growth and app engagement. The company recorded double-digit growth in the fragrance category, with skincare and wellness seeing high single-digit increases, while hair care and makeup had varied performances. Ulta's loyalty program expanded to 45 million members, and the company launched 19 new brands, emphasizing exclusivity and digital advancements. Despite a strong quarter, Ulta maintains a cautious outlook for fiscal 2025 due to macroeconomic uncertainties, projecting net sales between $11.5 billion and $11.7 billion and flat to 1.5% comp sales growth for the year.

Ulta Beauty Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Ulta Beauty demonstrates strong revenue growth, profitability, and cash flow generation. The income statement and cash flow metrics are robust, although there's room for improvement in equity strength on the balance sheet.
Income Statement
88
Very Positive
Ulta Beauty's income statement shows strong performance with consistent revenue growth and solid profitability metrics. The TTM revenue growth rate is robust at 1.08%, indicating steady expansion. Gross profit margin is healthy at 38.81%, and net profit margin at 10.45% demonstrates efficient cost management. Both EBIT and EBITDA margins are strong, at 13.71% and 16.23% respectively, reflecting operational efficiency.
Balance Sheet
80
Positive
The balance sheet reveals a solid financial position with a manageable debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, indicating balanced leverage. ROE is impressive at 49.10%, showcasing effective use of equity to generate profits. The equity ratio of 40.59% signifies a stable asset base funded by equity, though there's room for improvement in strengthening equity further.
Cash Flow
85
Very Positive
Cash flow analysis indicates a strong cash-generating capability. The free cash flow growth rate is notable at 7.56%, reflecting improved cash generation. Operating cash flow to net income ratio is 1.17, showing efficient conversion of income to cash. The free cash flow to net income ratio at 0.87 suggests healthy cash retention relative to earnings.
Breakdown
TTMMar 2025Mar 2024Mar 2023Mar 2022Mar 2021
Income StatementTotal Revenue
11.42B11.30B11.21B10.21B8.63B6.15B
Gross Profit
4.43B4.39B4.38B4.04B3.37B1.95B
EBIT
1.57B1.56B1.68B1.64B1.30B465.46M
EBITDA
1.85B1.85B1.94B1.88B1.57B534.59M
Net Income Common Stockholders
1.19B1.20B1.29B1.24B985.84M175.84M
Balance SheetCash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments
454.63M703.20M766.59M737.88M431.56M1.05B
Total Assets
5.99B6.00B5.71B5.37B4.76B5.09B
Total Debt
1.98B1.92B1.91B1.90B1.85B1.90B
Net Debt
1.52B1.22B1.14B1.17B1.42B850.75M
Total Liabilities
3.56B3.51B3.43B3.41B3.23B3.09B
Stockholders Equity
2.43B2.49B2.28B1.96B1.54B2.00B
Cash FlowFree Cash Flow
1.04B964.15M1.04B1.17B887.08M658.49M
Operating Cash Flow
1.40B1.34B1.48B1.48B1.06B810.36M
Investing Cash Flow
-375.88M-383.09M-441.43M-314.58M-176.48M-48.75M
Financing Cash Flow
-1.09B-1.02B-1.01B-861.01M-1.50B-107.93M

Ulta Beauty Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Positive
Last Price459.17
Price Trends
50DMA
404.24
Positive
100DMA
388.26
Positive
200DMA
389.05
Positive
Market Momentum
MACD
17.88
Positive
RSI
63.66
Neutral
STOCH
23.64
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For ULTA, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 459.17 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 442.37, above the 50-day MA of 404.24, and above the 200-day MA of 389.05, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 17.88 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 63.66 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 23.64 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for ULTA.

Ulta Beauty Risk Analysis

Ulta Beauty disclosed 28 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Ulta Beauty reported the most risks in the "Ability to Sell" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Ulta Beauty Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (62)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
78
Outperform
$20.64B17.9350.44%1.06%-0.29%
ELELF
75
Outperform
$7.06B65.2215.97%28.28%-14.79%
MM
73
Outperform
$3.05B5.6812.92%6.49%-3.77%4607.98%
62
Neutral
$6.82B11.052.80%4.32%2.67%-24.92%
61
Neutral
$4.13B40.12-10.58%-1.68%-302.11%
ELEL
59
Neutral
$24.21B147.29-17.27%2.08%-3.70%-235.59%
* Consumer Cyclical Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
ULTA
Ulta Beauty
459.17
70.02
17.99%
EL
The Estée Lauder Companies
67.31
-45.07
-40.11%
M
Macy's
11.24
-6.26
-35.77%
COTY
Coty
4.73
-5.08
-51.78%
ELF
e.l.f. Beauty
125.26
-70.15
-35.90%

Ulta Beauty Corporate Events

Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Ulta Beauty Holds Annual Stockholder Meeting June 2025
Neutral
Jun 13, 2025

On June 11, 2025, Ulta Beauty, Inc. held its annual meeting of stockholders, where several key proposals were voted on. Stockholders elected ten directors to serve until the 2026 annual meeting, ratified Ernst & Young LLP as the independent accounting firm for fiscal year 2025, and approved the company’s executive compensation. Approximately 87.52% of shares were represented at the meeting, reflecting strong shareholder engagement.

The most recent analyst rating on (ULTA) stock is a Hold with a $395.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Ulta Beauty stock, see the ULTA Stock Forecast page.

Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.