Analyst: Retail Stock Could Brave Tariff Headwinds

Group 1 - Ulta Beauty Inc shares increased by 1.4% to $527.27 after receiving an upgrade to "overweight" from "equal weight" at Barclays, which also raised the price target to $589 from $518 due to a positive outlook on same-store sales and resilience against tariff challenges [1] - The stock has rebounded above $520 after a decline from its 52-week high of $534.10, with a 40.7% increase over the past 12 months and a third consecutive daily gain following an 11.8% rise post-earnings on May 30 [2] - The upcoming second-quarter report is anticipated on August 28, with 15 out of 27 brokerages currently holding a "hold" or "strong sell" rating, indicating potential for more bullish notes if bearish sentiment diminishes [3] Group 2 - Options traders have shown increased bearish sentiment recently, with a 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.03, ranking higher than 80% of readings from the past year, indicating a prevailing put-bias among short-term traders [4] - The Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) stands at 1.73, placing it in the 99th percentile of readings from the past 12 months, further reflecting the bearish outlook among traders [4]