Ulta Beauty Inc (NASDAQ:ULTA) shares moved lower after the cosmetics retailer lowered its full-year sales and profit guidance on the back of a disappointing quarter. Full-year sales are now expected to be in the range of $11 billion to $11.2 billion, down from earlier guidance of $11.5 billion to $11.6 billion.
U.S. stock futures were higher this morning, with the Nasdaq futures gaining around 100 points on Friday.
Ulta Beauty noted a decline in traffic and cut its full-year forecast after Q2 results missed both internal and analyst estimates.
Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA ) Q2 2024 Earnings Conference Call August 29, 2024 4:30 PM ET Company Participants Kiley Rawlins - VP, IR Dave Kimbell - CEO Paula Oyibo - CFO Kecia Steelman - President & COO Conference Call Participants Steven Forbes - Guggenheim Securities Amy Teske - Baird Michael Lasser - UBS Rupesh Parikh - Oppenheimer Kelly Crago - Citi Korinne Wolfmeyer - Piper Sandler Juliana Duque - Wells Fargo Michael Baker - D.A. Davidson Ashley Helgans - Jefferies Olivia Tong - Raymond James Susan Anderson - Canaccord Genuity Operator Good afternoon, and welcome to Ulta's Beauty's Conference Call to discuss results for the Ulta Beauty Second Quarter 2024 Earnings Results.
The headline numbers for Ulta (ULTA) give insight into how the company performed in the quarter ended July 2024, but it may be worthwhile to compare some of its key metrics to Wall Street estimates and the year-ago actuals.
Ulta Beauty (ULTA) came out with quarterly earnings of $5.30 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.45 per share. This compares to earnings of $6.02 per share a year ago.
Ulta Beauty fell short of second-quarter expectations and trimmed its full-year guidance. Comparable sales for the second quarter fell 1.2%, compared to an 8% increase a year earlier.
JP Morgan analyst Christopher Horvers reiterated an Overweight rating on Ulta Beauty, Inc. ULTA, lowering the price forecast to $450 from $544.
A recent purchase of the retailer's shares by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has attracted much attention. One pundit reduced his price target, but steadfastly maintained his bullish outlook on the stock.
Berkshire recently initiated a position in retailer Ulta Beauty. Shares of the cosmetics chain are down about 24% in 2024.
ULTA's second-quarter performance is likely to reflect gains from strategic priorities. While elevated SG&A costs and a lower gross margin are expected.
Besides Wall Street's top -and-bottom-line estimates for Ulta (ULTA), review projections for some of its key metrics to gain a deeper understanding of how the company might have fared during the quarter ended July 2024.