Ulta Beauty Shares Climb On Better-Than-Expected Q3 Results, Raised FY24 Sales Outlook

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Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ: ULTA) reported its third-quarter results after Thursday's closing bell. Here's a look at the key figures from the quarter.

The Details: Ulta Beauty reported quarterly earnings of $5.14 per share, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $4.54. Quarterly revenue came in at $2.53 billion, which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $2.5 billion and is an increase over sales of $2.49 billion from the same period last year.

  • Comparable sales (sales for stores open at least 14 months and e-commerce sales) increased 0.6%, driven by a 0.5% increase in transactions and a 0.1% increase in average ticket.
  • Gross profit was $1 billion compared to $992.1 million in the same period last year.
  • As a percentage of net sales, gross profit decreased to 39.7%, primarily due to deleverage of store and supply chain fixed costs and lower other revenue, partially offset by favorable channel mix and lower inventory shrink.
  • Operating income was $318.5 million, or 12.6% of net sales.
  • The tax rate was 24.4% compared to 24.3% from the same period last year.
"The Ulta Beauty team delivered better-than-expected sales and profitability reflecting improved sales trends and strong financial discipline. I am proud of the progress we've made and encouraged by early signs that our efforts to reinforce our market position and drive improved performance are gaining traction," said Dave Kimbell, Ulta Beauty CEO.

"As we look to the remainder of fiscal 2024, we are focused on executing with excellence across our key initiatives to deliver in a dynamic environment."

Outlook: Ulta Beauty raised its fiscal 2024 net sales outlook to a range of $11.1 billion to $11.2 billion.

ULTA Price Action: According to Benzinga Pro, Ulta Beauty shares are up 10.61% after-hours at $434.02 at the time of publication Thursday.