Wells Fargo raises target for Ulta Beauty stock from USD 450.00 to USD 525.00

Published on 10/01/2026 at 14:12 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Second-quarter revenue reached USD 3.04 billion, up 8.90 percent year over year. Ulta Beauty stock costs EUR 484.40 on October 1, 2026 versus EUR 482.50.

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Ulta Beauty (ISIN US90384S3031) was trading at EUR 484.40 at Lang & Schwarz on October 1, 2026 at 2:05 p.m. CEST, with a modest plus 0.39 percent versus the EUR 482.50 prior close. The latest analyst action came on September 15, 2026, when Wells Fargo raised its target from USD 450.00 to USD 525.00 and moved its rating to Equal Weight, according to MarketScreener.

Guidance rises after strong quarter

Ulta Beauty's second-quarter fiscal 2026 results provide the operating reason behind the revised expectations. Net sales increased 8.90 percent year over year to USD 3.04 billion, while diluted earnings per share rose 13.30 percent to USD 6.55, according to Ulta Beauty.

Comparable sales grew 3.80 percent, and operating income increased 10.10 percent to USD 379.6 million. The operating margin reached 12.50 percent, compared with 12.40 percent in the year-earlier quarter, showing that the earnings improvement was not driven solely by sales growth.

Higher targets meet tougher comparisons

Management lifted fiscal 2026 net sales growth guidance to 6.70-7.20 percent from 6.00-7.00 percent. The comparable-sales range moved to 3.20-3.70 percent from 2.50-3.50 percent, while diluted earnings per share guidance increased to USD 28.70-29.00 from USD 28.36-28.80, as reported by Yahoo Finance on September 30, 2026.

The second-half outlook is more restrained: net sales growth is expected at 4.00-5.00 percent and comparable-sales growth at 2.00-3.00 percent. That split matters because second-quarter comparable sales were helped by a 3.90 percent increase in average ticket while transactions were roughly flat, leaving traffic and promotional discipline as key execution tests.

Stock stays below yearly high

Ulta Beauty's primary listing is on Nasdaq, where the latest finance quote was USD 546.17 on September 30, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET. The USD 23.5 billion market capitalization and USD 443.60 to USD 714.97 52-week range put the euro reference price 32.25 percent below the yearly high when comparing separate currencies is avoided; the range is therefore presented only in USD.

Ulta Beauty has scheduled its third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings conference call for December 3, 2026, according to Ulta Beauty. The further course of trading is shown by the continuously updated real-time quote of Ulta Beauty stock.