Ulta's stock soars on better-than-expected earnings amid 'healthy' traffic trends

By Ciara Linnane

Stock gains about 9% as profit and sales top consensus estimates

Ulta Beauty Inc.'s stock soared 8.8% in after-hours trading Thursday after the beauty company beat third-quarter consensus estimates for profit, sales and same-store sales and tightened its guidance.

Bolingbrook, Ill.-based Ulta (ULTA) posted net income of $249.5 million, or $5.07 a share, for the quarter, down from $274.6 million, or $5.34 a share, in the same period a year earlier. Sales rose to $2.489 billion from $2.339 billion a year ago.

The FactSet consensus was for earnings per share of $4.96 and sales of $2.470 billion.

Same-store sales rose 4.5%, while FactSet was expecting a 3.3% rise.

Chief Executive Dave Kimbell said sales, gross profit and EPS all exceeded the company's own expectations.

"Our traffic trends remained healthy, our brand awareness increased, and we expanded our loyalty program to a record 42.2 million members," he said in a statement.

The company opened 12 new stores in the quarter, relocated two others and remodeled 11 stores.

Ulta raised the low end of its full-year sales guidance and now expects sales to range from $11.10 billion to $11.15 billion, compared with prior guidance of $11.05 billion to $11.10 billon.

It expects same-store sales to rise by 5.0% to 5.5%, compared with prior guidance of 4.5% to 5.5%.

The company expects EPS to range from $25.20 to $25.60, compared with prior guidance of $25.10 to $25.60.

The FactSet consensus is for EPS of $25.34 on sales of $11.19 billion. The consensus is for same-store sales to rise 5.6%.

The stock has fallen 9% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX has gained 19%.

-Ciara Linnane

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11-30-23 1629ET

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