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ULTAUlta Beauty, Inc.Buy Wait5.9·$538.76+3.32%
Buy WaitModerate Confidence
Investment thesis

Ulta Beauty trades at a forward P/E of 14.8x with 47% ROE and has beaten earnings in 3 of the last 4 quarters, but is in a confirmed falling-knife technical pattern below all moving averages with a death cross in place, and its supplier concentration across the top ten brand partners creates a structural vulnerability.

Thesis pillars

  • Supplier Concentration Top Ten BrandsDeteriorating
  • Analyst Upside With Earnings Beat BaseDeteriorating
  • High Roe Quality In DowntrendStable
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Full reasoning →

Open full analysis

Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA) Stock Analysis

Range Bound setup

Buy WaitVALUE-TRAP 2/5QualityModerate Confidence

Consumer Cyclical · Specialty Retail

Earnings in 3 days (2026-08-27). Expect elevated volatility around the report — consider waiting for post-earnings price action before new entries.

Wait for pullback to $495.07. At $538.76 the A.R:R is 0.4:1 — below the 1.5:1 minimum for BUY_NOW. Engine's entry $495.07 (support + ATR (held)) is the shallowest technical level that clears the 2:1 A.R:R minimum. Key risks: Concentration risk — Supplier: top ten brand partners (51.0%); Thin upside margin: 4.1%.

Ulta Beauty, the largest specialty beauty retailer in the U.S., operates more than 1,500 stores with full-service salons, selling approximately 30,000 products from roughly 600 brands across cosmetics, fragrance, skincare, and haircare. The company earns revenue from direct... Read more

$538.76+4.1% A.UpsideScore 5.9/10#9 of 25 Specialty Retail
QualityF-score7 / 9FCF yield4.34%
Entry $495.07(support + ATR (held))Stop $459.08Target $561.08(analyst − 10%)A.R:R 0.4:1
Analyst target$623.42+15.7%24 analysts
$561.08our TP
$538.76price
$623.42mean
$450
$735

Wait for pullback to $495.07. At $538.76 the A.R:R is 0.4:1 — below the 1.5:1 minimum for BUY_NOW. Engine's entry $495.07 (support + ATR (held)) is the shallowest technical level that clears the 2:1 A.R:R minimum. Key risks: Concentration risk — Supplier: top ten brand partners (51.0%); Thin upside margin: 4.1%. Chart setup: RSI 49 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Earnings in 3 days. Wait until post-earnings. Score 5.9/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 5/9 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio and earnings proximity 3d<=7d. Suitability: moderate.

news + 30-day 8-K events · 5-min refresh

Recent developments

updated 2026-08-24
TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Thu, Aug 27, 20263d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Concentration risk — Supplier: top ten brand partners (51.0%)
Thin upside margin: 4.1%
Below 200-MA (11d, -3.0%)

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)19.5
P/E (Fwd)16.4
Mkt Cap$22.4B
EV/EBITDA13.0
Profit Mgn9.4%
ROE47.4%
Rev Growth11.1%
Beta0.85
DividendNone
Rating analysts34

Quality Signals

Piotroski F7/9MoatNarrow

Options Flow

P/C1.21bearish
IV73%elevated
Max Pain$340-36.9% vs spot

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • HIGHSuppliertop ten brand partners51%
    10-K Item 1A: 'merchandise supplied by our top ten brand partners accounted for approximately 51% and 54% of our net sales, respectively'

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

10 dimensions · all in-band

GatesA.R:R 0.4 < 1.5@spotEARNINGS PROXIMITY 3d<=7dMomentum 5.0<5.5 (soft — BUY_NOW allowed but watch)Death cross (50MA < 200MA)Momentum 5.0>=4.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARRange BoundSuitability: Moderate
RSI
49 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $486.25Resistance $566.73

Price Targets

$459
$495
$561
A.Upside+4.1%
A.R:R0.4:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Earnings in 3 days - binary event risk
! asymmetry at 0.4 (below the engine's 1.5 threshold)@spot
! EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:3d<=7d

Earnings

B
B
B
M
3/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-08-27 (3d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ULTA stock a buy right now?

Wait for pullback to $495.07. At $538.76 the A.R:R is 0.4:1 — below the 1.5:1 minimum for BUY_NOW. Engine's entry $495.07 (support + ATR (held)) is the shallowest technical level that clears the 2:1 A.R:R minimum. Key risks: Concentration risk — Supplier: top ten brand partners (51.0%); Thin upside margin: 4.1%. Chart setup: RSI 49 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Earnings in 3 days. Wait until post-earnings. Target $561.08 (+4.1%), stop $459.08 (−17.4%), A.R:R 0.4:1. Score 5.9/10, moderate confidence.

What is the ULTA stock price target?

Take-profit target: $561.08 (+4.1% upside). Target $561.08 (+4.1%), stop $459.08 (−17.4%), A.R:R 0.4:1. Stop-loss: $459.08.

What are the risks of investing in ULTA?

Concentration risk — Supplier: top ten brand partners (51.0%); Thin upside margin: 4.1%; Below 200-MA (11d, -3.0%).

Is ULTA overvalued or undervalued?

Ulta Beauty, Inc. trades at a P/E of 19.5 (forward 16.4). TrendMatrix value score: 6.1/10. Verdict: Buy (Wait for Entry).

What do analysts say about ULTA?

34 analysts cover ULTA with a consensus score of 4.0/5. Average price target: $623.

What does Ulta Beauty, Inc. do?Ulta Beauty, the largest specialty beauty retailer in the U.S., operates more than 1,500 stores with full-service...

Ulta Beauty, the largest specialty beauty retailer in the U.S., operates more than 1,500 stores with full-service salons, selling approximately 30,000 products from roughly 600 brands across cosmetics, fragrance, skincare, and haircare. The company earns revenue from direct retail sales and salon services, with approximately 95% of Ulta U.S. sales generated by the Ulta Beauty Rewards® loyalty program's 46 million-plus members. International operations include 84 Space NK stores in the U.K. and Ireland.

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