Overview
- Ulta reported second‑quarter results that topped Wall Street estimates with net sales up about 8.9% to roughly $3.0 billion and diluted EPS of $6.55.
- The company raised its full‑year outlook to 6.7%–7.2% net sales growth and $28.70–$29.00 in diluted EPS, and it expanded its fiscal 2026 buyback authorization to $1.8 billion.
- Management credited the quarter to stronger fragrance sales, K‑Beauty, exclusive celebrity brands, the Space NK acquisition, new stores and continued e‑commerce and marketplace momentum.
- Comparable‑store sales grew 3.8%, a slowdown from 6.7% a year earlier, and gross margin slipped slightly to about 39.1%, factors that appear to have driven the roughly 3–4% drop in the stock after the report.
- Ulta reiterated plans to open about 60 new U.S. stores plus relocations and remodels and to press international expansion through Space NK and franchise partners, a strategy that underpins management’s raised guidance.