Check Out What Whales Are Doing With ULTA

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Ulta Beauty ULTA.

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with ULTA, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 8 uncommon options trades for Ulta Beauty.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 25% bullish and 75%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 3 are puts, for a total amount of $125,530, and 5 are calls, for a total amount of $219,873.

Latest Startup Investment Opportunities:

Expected Price Movements

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $500.0 to $600.0 for Ulta Beauty over the recent three months.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

Examining the volume and open interest provides crucial insights into stock research. This information is key in gauging liquidity and interest levels for Ulta Beauty's options at certain strike prices. Below, we present a snapshot of the trends in volume and open interest for calls and puts across Ulta Beauty's significant trades, within a strike price range of $500.0 to $600.0, over the past month.

Ulta Beauty 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Biggest Options Spotted:

About Ulta Beauty

With 1,355 stores at the end of fiscal 2022 and a partnership with Target, Ulta Beauty is the largest specialized beauty retailer in the U.S. The firm offers makeup (42% of 2022 sales), fragrances, skin care, and hair care products (21% of 2022 sales), and bath and body items. Ulta offers private-label products and merchandise from more than 500 vendors. It also offers salon services, including hair, makeup, skin, and brow services, in all stores. Most Ulta stores are approximately 10,000 square feet and are in suburban strip centers. Ulta was founded in 1990 and is based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Having examined the options trading patterns of Ulta Beauty, our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance

Present Market Standing of Ulta Beauty

• Currently trading with a volume of 168,435, the ULTA's price is up by 0.44%, now at $551.0.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching overbought.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 2 days.

Professional Analyst Ratings for Ulta Beauty

Over the past month, 4 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $605.0.

• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from UBS continues to hold a Buy rating for Ulta Beauty, targeting a price of $690.
• An analyst from JP Morgan has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Ulta Beauty, which currently sits at a price target of $600.
• Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Loop Capital lowers its rating to Hold with a new price target of $530.
• Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Telsey Advisory Group lowers its rating to Outperform with a new price target of $600.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Ulta Beauty options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.