Ulta Beauty raises full-year outlook after increase in Q2 sales

Ulta Beauty raises full-year outlook after increase in Q2 sales

Fri, August 28, 2026 at 5:25 PM GMT+3 2 min read

Ulta Beauty has lifted its full-year guidance after reporting higher sales and earnings for the second quarter (Q2) of fiscal 2026 (FY26).

The US speciality beauty retailer now expects net sales growth of 6.7% to 7.2% for the full year, compared with its previous forecast of 6% to 7%.

It has also raised its comparable sales growth outlook to 3.2% to 3.7%, from an earlier range of 2.5% to 3.5%.

The company increased its operating income growth forecast to 8.3% to 9.3%, up from 6.5% to 9%, and lifted diluted earnings per share guidance to $28.70 to $29, compared with the prior estimate of $28.36 to $28.80.

Its capital expenditure forecast remains unchanged at $400m to $450m.

For the quarter ended 1 August 2026, Ulta Beauty posted net sales of $3.03bn, an increase of nearly 9% from $2.8bn in the same period of FY25.

The retailer said the rise in net sales reflected growth in comparable sales, the acquisition of Space NK and revenue from new stores.

Comparable sales increased 3.8% in the quarter, against 6.7% a year earlier.

Gross profit rose 8.7% year-on-year to $1.2bn while gross margin slipped slightly to 39.1% from 39.2%.

Operating income increased 10.1% to $379.6m, representing 12.5% of net sales, compared with 12.4% a year earlier.

Diluted earnings per share rose 13.3% to $6.55 from $5.78.

In the first six months of FY26, Ulta Beauty spent $139.5m on capital expenditure, including new stores, relocations, remodels and information technology.

Ulta Beauty president and CEO Kecia Steelman said: "Our team delivered another impressive quarter of strong sales, profit, and earnings growth, demonstrating that we are executing with discipline and translating our Ulta Beauty Unleashed strategy into tangible benefits for our guests.

"With our strong first-half performance, we have raised our financial guidance for the year, reflecting our confidence in our strategic priorities and our ability to drive profitable growth and long-term value for all stakeholders in a dynamic environment."

"Ulta Beauty raises full-year outlook after increase in Q2 sales" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand.