Ulta Trims FY26 Operating Income Growth Outlook, Adds 70 Stores, Details TikTok Strategy
ULTA is trading near its 52-week low of $452 (11% above the low) on elevated volume (2.5× avg).
Summary
Ulta Beauty updated its fiscal year 2026 guidance, trimming operating income growth expectations to 6.5%–9% while maintaining net sales growth at 6%–7%. The company also guided diluted EPS to $28.36–$28.80 and expects $400M–$450M in capital expenditures. Operationally, Ulta added a net of 70 stores and increased inventories by 12.5% to $2.386 billion to support expansion. A new TikTok Shop strategy was detailed, aiming to attract younger customers and boost store visits. This guidance update follows the strong first-quarter results reported yesterday. The trimmed operating income growth suggests potential pressure on profitability despite continued sales expansion, which is a key concern for traders.
At the time of this announcement, ULTA was trading at $500.50 on NASDAQ in the Trade & Services sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $21.6B. The 52-week trading range was $452.00 to $714.97. This news item was assessed with neutral market sentiment and an importance score of 8 out of 10. Source: Wiseek News.