Ulta Beauty (ULTA) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.Over the past month, shares of this beauty products retailer have returned -20.1%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -3% change. During this period, the Zacks Retail - Miscellaneous industry, which Ulta falls in, has lost 8.9%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?While media relea ...

In the latest trading session, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) closed at $419.27, marking a +1.48% move from the previous day. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.2%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.69%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 1.59%.The the stock of beauty products retailer has fallen by 17.33% in the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 3.47% and the S&P 500's loss of 4.16%.Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Ulta Beauty in its upcoming ...

In the latest trading session, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) closed at $425.11, marking a +0.13% move from the previous day. The stock's performance was ahead of the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.22%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.06%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.52%.Heading into today, shares of the beauty products retailer had lost 18.97% over the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 2.01% and the S&P 500's loss of 1.66% in that time.Market participants will ...

Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA) has been making the most of the favorable trends in the beauty industry with its robust omnichannel efforts. Healthy traffic, increased brand awareness and loyalty program expansion are working well for this beauty retailer.These upsides, along with solid transformational efforts, reflected positively on fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 results, wherein the top and bottom lines increased year over year and came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. While the macroeconomic landscape remai ...

Fresh off the stock's worst week since March 2020, one analyst is betting on a bounce back from Ulta Beauty Inc (NASDAQ:ULTA). This morning, Loop Capital upgraded the cosmetics retailer to "buy" from "hold," calling last week's selloff 'overdone.' The firm also set a price target of $540, which represents an over 20% premium to current levels. At last look, ULTA was up 2.1% to trade at $454.18. The shares fell 15.3% on Wednesday, April 3, after CEO David Kimbell warned of slowing demand. Since the start of ...

Shares of the beauty retailer fell on a disappointing update.Shares of Ulta Beauty (ULTA 5.51%) were pulling back this week after the beauty retailer gave downbeat guidance in an investor conference with JPMorgan Chase on Wednesday. CEO Dave Kimbell noted a slowdown across the company's product categories several times at the investor conference. As a result, the stock was down double digits on Wednesday.As of Thursday at 12:28 p.m. ET, the stock was down 13.2% for the week, according to data from S&P Globa ...

Talaj/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis The Lipstick Effect is a manifestation of consumer crosscurrents occurring when consumers reallocate their wallet spend from big-ticket luxury goods and other large items to smaller discretionary items such as lipstick during slowdowns. This was a tailwind for Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) during the post-pandemic slowdown seen in 2022. But it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Yesterday, during the J.P. Morgan 10th Annual Retail Round Up Conference, David K ...

Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) JPMorgan 10th Annual Retail Round Up Conference April 3, 2024 9:00 AM ET Company Participants David Kimbell - Chief Executive Officer Paula Oyibo - Senior Vice President, Finance at Ulta Beauty Conference Call Participants Christopher Horvers - JPMorgan Christopher Horvers Great. Thank you, everybody, for joining us today for our 10th annual retail round up. It gets bigger and bigger every year. We've had one company who has been a consistent participant and supporter of the ...

Summary of Ulta Beauty, Inc. Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ: ULTA) - **Event**: JPMorgan 10th Annual Retail Round Up Conference - **Date**: April 3, 2024 - **Participants**: - David Kimbell - Chief Executive Officer - Paula Oyibo - Senior Vice President, Finance Industry Insights - **Consumer Environment**: - The beauty industry has shown consistent growth historically, particularly post-pandemic with strong engagement from consumers in beauty as part of their wellness and self-care routines [3][4] - Economic factors affecting consumers include healthy employment rates and wage growth, but also rising credit card debt and student loan pressures [4] - Ulta has observed a slowdown in the beauty category growth, which is expected to moderate to mid-single-digit growth rates [5][6] Key Financial Metrics - **Market Share**: - Ulta holds approximately 9% of the total beauty category and has maintained this share in 2023, with significant growth compared to pre-pandemic levels [9] - Despite competitive pressures, Ulta has seen growth in mass makeup categories while facing challenges in prestige makeup and haircare [10][11] Competitive Landscape - **Market Dynamics**: - The competitive environment has intensified with over 1,000 new points of distribution in the prestige beauty segment, impacting Ulta's market share [27][28] - Ulta's strategy includes leveraging its loyalty program, which has grown by 8% last year, to maintain customer engagement [10] Product and Innovation Strategy - **New Product Launches**: - Ulta is excited about its new product pipeline, including exclusive launches like the WYN brand by Serena Williams, aimed at active lifestyles [12] - The company is focusing on both mass and prestige segments, with a strong emphasis on innovation and marketing to drive engagement [15][19] Financial Guidance - **2024 Outlook**: - Ulta expects a comp growth of 4% to 5% for 2024, with the first half in low single digits and the second half in mid-single digits [14] - The guidance reflects confidence in the new product pipeline and the overall health of the beauty category, despite anticipated moderation [14][15] International Expansion - **Market Entry**: - Ulta is considering expansion into Canada in the long term but is currently entering Mexico through a joint venture to mitigate risks and scale faster [35] Operational Efficiency - **Margin Expectations**: - Ulta has guided for operating margins in the range of 14% to 15%, with expectations that it will be challenging to exceed 15% due to competitive dynamics and necessary investments [36][39] - The company is focused on maintaining operational efficiency through ongoing investments in technology and supply chain improvements [42][46] Promotional Strategy - **Promotional Activities**: - Ulta plans to maintain a below-2019 level of promotional activity, focusing on targeted promotions rather than broad-based discounts [55] - The company is adapting its promotional strategies based on consumer engagement and competitive pressures [55][56] Conclusion - **Overall Sentiment**: - Ulta remains optimistic about its long-term growth potential despite current market challenges, emphasizing the importance of innovation, customer engagement, and operational efficiency to navigate the evolving beauty landscape [30][39]

After years of strong sales growth, Ulta Beauty is warning of a slow period ahead.The retailer’s chief executive said Wednesday (April 3) that he expects moderate mid-single digit sales growth, sending the company’s stock tumbling.“What we’ve seen so far is a slowdown in the total category across price points and segments. That’s a bit earlier and a bit bigger than we thought,” said CEO David Kimbell, whose comments to J.P. Morgan analysts during a fireside chat were reported by Reuters.“The competitive env ...