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Ulta Beauty leaps after retailer posts strong Q2 and hikes its full-year guidance

Ulta’s traffic picked up during the quarter as shoppers carved out space for fragrances and skin care.

8/29/25 9:21AM

Ulta Beauty jumped 3.1% in premarket trading after the beauty juggernaut posted strong second-quarter results Thursday afternoon, blowing past expectations and raising its full-year outlook.

The company delivered $5.78 in earnings per share, well above analysts’ $5.10 forecast, and booked $2.79 billion in revenue, topping Wall Street’s $2.68 billion estimate. Same-store sales climbed 6.7%, handily beating the Street’s expectations for 2.9% growth and outshining much of the broader retail sector this earnings season.

The glow-up isn’t over yet: Ulta raised its full-year guidance, now expecting $12 billion to $12.1 billion in sales (up from $11.5 billion to $11.7 billion) and EPS between $23.85 and $24.30, up from $22.65 to $23.20.

All of Ulta’s core categories shined during the quarter, led by double-digit growth in fragrance (continuing the category’s hot streak) along with momentum in skin care, wellness, and cosmetics. Ulta’s UK-based Space NK acquisition also added a lift to the results.

CEO Kecia Steelman flagged ongoing economic uncertainty and shifting shopper trends, but stressed that beauty and wellness can stay resilient even when consumers tighten their budgets.

Ulta shares were up 22% year to date going into the earnings release.

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SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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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.”

Ulta Beauty leaps after retailer posts strong Q2 and hikes its full-year guidance

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