In the latest trading session, Ulta Beauty (ULTA) closed at $508.09, marking a +1.31% move from the previous day. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 1.52% for the day. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 2.19%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw a decrease of 1.74%.
The beauty products retailer's stock has climbed by 11.21% in the past month, exceeding the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 1.87% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.92%.
Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Ulta Beauty in its upcoming release. In that report, analysts expect Ulta Beauty to post earnings of $6.16 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 6.57%. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $2.97 billion, reflecting a 6.4% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.
Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $28.77 per share and revenue of $13.21 billion, indicating changes of +12.21% and +6.61%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Ulta Beauty. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.
Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.01% higher within the past month. Right now, Ulta Beauty possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
From a valuation perspective, Ulta Beauty is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 17.43. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 15.48.
We can also see that ULTA currently has a PEG ratio of 1.56. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. As the market closed yesterday, the Retail - Miscellaneous industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.84.
The Retail - Miscellaneous industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 96, this industry ranks in the top 40% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.
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Ulta Beauty Inc. (ULTA): Free Stock Analysis Report
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