Ulta Beauty (ULTA) Tops Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Core Viewpoint - Ulta Beauty reported quarterly earnings of $5.14 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.47 per share, and showing a slight increase from $5.07 per share a year ago, resulting in an earnings surprise of 14.99% [1] Financial Performance - The company achieved revenues of $2.53 billion for the quarter ended October 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.68%, and reflecting a year-over-year increase from $2.49 billion [2] - Over the last four quarters, Ulta has exceeded consensus EPS estimates three times and has also topped consensus revenue estimates three times [2] Stock Performance and Outlook - Ulta shares have declined approximately 18.4% since the beginning of the year, contrasting with the S&P 500's gain of 27.6% [4] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $6.84 on revenues of $3.4 billion, while for the current fiscal year, the estimate is $23.07 on revenues of $11.16 billion [8] Industry Context - The Zacks Industry Rank indicates that the Retail - Miscellaneous sector is currently in the bottom 30% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting potential challenges for stock performance [9]