With a market cap of $30.6 billion, Ulta Beauty, Inc. (ULTA) is a specialty beauty retailer offering a wide range of branded and private-label products across cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, and bath and body, along with in-store beauty services such as hair, makeup, brow, and skin treatments. It operates across the United States, Mexico, and Kuwait through its stores, digital platforms, and mobile applications.

Shares of the beauty products retailer have surpassed the broader market over the past 52 weeks. ULTA stock has surged 91.7% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has gained 12.3%. Moreover, shares of the company are up 14.1% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX’s marginal rise.

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Narrowing the focus, shares of the Bolingbrook, Illinois-based company have outpaced the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLY) 3% return over the past 52 weeks.

Shares of Ulta Beauty jumped 12.7% following its Q3 2025 results on Dec. 4 that beat expectations, with EPS of $5.14 and revenue of $2.86 billion. Investor optimism was further driven by strong operating momentum, including a 12.9% year-over-year increase in net sales, 6.3% comparable sales growth, and gross margin expansion to 40.4%. The rally was reinforced by Ulta raising its full-year fiscal 2025 guidance, projecting approximately $12.3 billion in net sales and higher EPS of $25.20 to $25.50.

For the fiscal year that ended in January 2026, analysts expect ULTA’s EPS to rise marginally year-over-year to $25.56. The company’s earnings surprise history is promising. It beat the consensus estimates in the last four quarters.

Among the 26 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” That’s based on 15 “Strong Buy” ratings, one “Moderate Buy,” nine “Holds,” and one “Strong Sell.”

On Jan. 7, Barclays analyst Adrienne Yih maintained a “Buy” rating on Ulta Beauty with a price target of $680.

As of writing, the stock is trading above the mean price target of $682.27. The Street-high price target of $790 suggests a 15.3% potential upside.

On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com