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An Ulta Beauty store is seen at Monroe Marketplace in...
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Ulta shares shine after the mega beauty retailer dropped dazzling Q4 earnings

Shares of the largest US beauty retailer are still down nearly 45% over the past year.

Nia Warfield

Ulta Beauty shares popped 6% in early trading Friday, a day after the mega beauty retailer posted an attractive Q4 earnings beat.

Revenue hit $3.48 billion, topping analyst estimates of $3.46 billion, according to FactSet, though it still fell slightly short of last year’s numbers, which included an extra week. Earnings per share came in at $8.46, beating expectations of $7.13.

As the largest US beauty retailer, Ulta has long been a go-to for cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, hair care, and salon services. However, like peers Estée Lauder, e.l.f. Beauty, and Coty, Ulta’s stock has struggled as consumer spending tightens and competition picks up from larger retail rivals like Amazon and Walmart. Ulta shares have fallen more than 20% so far this year.

For the full year, Ulta expects diluted earnings per share to range from $22.50 to $22.90, just below estimates of $23.06.

This is the first earnings report under Ulta’s new CEO, Kecia Steelman. On a call with analysts, she said the company’s relaunched loyalty program recently reached a record of 44.6 million members, and she highlighted plans to launch in Mexico and expand into the Middle East.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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