Ulta Beauty, Inc. · ULTA · FY2026 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2026

Ulta raises profit outlook as demand and exclusive brands remain strong

The current analysis supports the view that resilient demand and earnings growth can strengthen Ulta's outlook, but the thesis depends on sustaining comparable-sales momentum and converting investments in brands, technology, and expansion into durable profit growth.

Reported After market closeNASDAQConsumer Cyclical $23.98B market cap
100quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS $7.74 Consensus $6.89
EPS surprise +12.3% Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue $3.16B Consensus $3.12B
Revenue surprise +1.4% Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

event-close to next-session close
Stock move -4.8% Event window
SPY move -0.7% Same window
Abnormal move -4.1% Stock minus SPY
Volume 3.2× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift -2.1% Up to 20 sessions
ULTASPY benchmark

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What changed

Compared with the prior quarter, guidance sentiment moved from maintained to raised: operating-profit and EPS expectations increased while sales guidance stayed unchanged. The strategy also became more specific around TikTok Shop, Ulta AI, Google Gemini integration, and a Times Square flagship.

Guidance delta

Management raised FY2026 operating-profit and EPS outlook while leaving sales guidance unchanged.

Key takeaways

  • Q1 net sales increased 11.1% and comparable sales rose 5.3%.
  • Exclusive and partner brands, including NOYZ and Rare Beauty, supported growth and prestige-fragrance share gains.
  • Management highlighted e-commerce, loyalty, AI personalization, and TikTok Shop as growth initiatives.
  • International expansion continues across Mexico, the Middle East, and the UK/Ireland.

Management priorities

  • Expand exclusive brands and prestige-fragrance offerings.
  • Improve personalization through Ulta AI and Google Gemini integration.
  • Develop TikTok Shop and other social-commerce channels.
  • Continue international expansion and e-commerce enhancements.

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
ULTA EPS earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 2 future estimate-only quarters. Q4 '24 estimate $7.53 Q4 '24 actual $8.08, beat Q1 '25 estimate $6.24 Q1 '25 actual $6.47, beat Q2 '25 estimate $5.46 Q2 '25 actual $5.30, miss Q2 '26 estimate $5.10 Q2 '26 actual $5.78, beat Q3 '26 estimate $4.61 Q3 '26 actual $5.14, beat Q4 '26 estimate $8.10 Q4 '26 actual $8.01, miss Q1 '27 estimate $6.89 Q1 '27 actual $7.74, beat Q2 '27 estimate $6.22 Q2 '27 actual $6.55, beat Q3 '27 estimate $5.79 Q4 '27 estimate $9.12
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Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusBuy46 ratings
Bullish2758.7%
Neutral1941.3%
Bearish00.0%

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$557.86Current
$345Low
$586.6Average
$790High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Sep 22, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
Wells Fargo Equal Weight UnderweightUpgradeSep 15, 2026
DA Davidson Buy BuyMaintainSep 14, 2026
UBS Buy BuyMaintainAug 28, 2026
Goldman Sachs Buy BuyMaintainAug 28, 2026
Citigroup Neutral NeutralMaintainAug 28, 2026
Show 41 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $557.86. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
Wells FargoAnalyst unavailable$525$548.65 -5.9%Sep 15, 2026
BMO CapitalKelly Crago$580$549.23 +4.0%Sep 8, 2026
UBSAnalyst unavailable$631$517.03 +13.1%Aug 28, 2026
UBSMichael Lasser$710$540.1 +27.3%Aug 28, 2026
Goldman SachsKate McShane$667$540.1 +19.6%Aug 28, 2026
See 140 more

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Company context

Snapshot as of publication

Ulta Beauty, Inc. functions as a prominent beauty product retailer throughout the United States. Its physical locations feature a broad assortment of goods, including cosmetics, perfumes, skincare, haircare items, bath and body essentials, and professional salon styling instruments. Additionally, they provide a comprehensive suite of salon services, encompassing hair, skin, makeup, brow, and nail treatments. The company further offers its proprietary label products, such as the Ulta Beauty Collection for cosmetics, skincare, and bath items, alongside other Ulta Beauty branded merchandise and gift options. As of March 10, 2022, Ulta Beauty operated 1,308 retail stores across all 50 U.S. states. Its products are also available for purchase via its website, ulta.com, and through its mobile applications. Incorporated in 1990, the enterprise was initially known as Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc., before officially changing its name to Ulta Beauty, Inc. in January 2017. Its corporate base is located in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Historical context

All ULTA earnings

Consumer Cyclical peers this season

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Latest beats and misses

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Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-08-27T21:20:22.140505+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-09-22T01:30:55.740240+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-09-22T01:30:55.737720+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated . For educational purposes only; not investment advice.