Ulta Beauty shares rise after retailer beats earnings views, online sales clock higher
Shares of Ulta Beauty Inc. rose more than 4% in the extended session Thursday after the retailer reported fiscal fourth-quarter results that topped Wall Street views and a jump in its online sales. Ulta said it earned $214.7 million, or $3. 61 a share, in the quarter, compared with $208.2 million, or $3.40 a share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017. Sales rose 10% to $2.12 billion, compared with $1.9 billion a year ago. Comparable-store sales rose 9.4%, thanks to growth in the number of transactions as well as in the average ticket, and included a 25% jump in e-commerce comparable sales alone, Ulta said. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had expected Ulta to report GAAP and adjusted earnings of $3.56 a share on sales of $2.11 billion. Shares ended the regular trading day down 0.9%.
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