Ulta lifted its fourth-quarter operating margin forecast
Ulta Beauty Inc (NASDAQ:ULTA) stock was last seen up 4.5% to trade at $450.70, after the cosmetics retailer revealed COO Kecia Steelman will succeed CEO Dave Kimbell, who retired on Monday after 11 years with the company. Additionally, Ulta lifted its fourth-quarter operating margin outlook.
ULTA carries a 7.5% year-over-year deficit, but added 23.3% over the past three months. Shares are trading at their highest level since April as they bounce off their 20-day moving average and break through pressure at the $440 level. Plus, the $420 level is acting as an added layer of support.
There's plenty of room for optimism, with 15 of the 28 firms in coverage still calling ULTA a "hold" or worse. Short interest already fell 12.9% in the last two reporting periods, but the 2.37 million shares sold short still make up more than 5% of the stock's available float.
Options bulls are chiming in, with 2,464 calls exchanged so far today, which is double the volume typically seen at this point. The most active contract is the weekly 1/10 460-strike call, where new positions are being opened.
Calls have been more popular than usual over the last two weeks. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), ULTA's 10-day put/call volume ratio of 2.27 ranks at the 90th percentile of annual readings.