06:22 AM EDT, 03/13/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Ulta Beauty ( ULTA ) shares fell early Friday as the beauty retailer issued a full-year earnings outlook below market estimates, while it reported a lower-than-expected bottom line in the fiscal fourth quarter.

The company anticipates earnings to be in a range of $28.05 to $28.55 per share for fiscal 2026, it said late Thursday. The current consensus on FactSet is for EPS of $28.58. In the previous fiscal year, EPS increased 1.2% annually to $25.64.

The stock dropped 8.7% in the most recent premarket activity.

"As we look to fiscal 2026, we are focused on expanding our market share, driving returns from the investments we've made over the last few years and importantly, returning to profitable growth," Chief Financial Officer Christopher DelOrefice said during an earnings call, according to a FactSet transcript.

Sales are expected to increase 6% to 7% for the ongoing fiscal year, totaling between $13.1 billion and $13.2 billion, DelOrefice said on the call. The Street is looking for $13.17 billion. Comparable sales are projected to increase between 2.5% and 3.5%, compared with the average analyst estimate for a same-store sales gain of 3.4%.

"Overall, we are planning stronger sales growth in the first half of the year as we benefit from the acquisition of Space NK and lap easier comp growth comparisons in the first quarter," according to DelOrefice. In fiscal 2025, sales advanced 9.7% to $12.39 billion, while comparable sales inclined 5.4%.

For the three-month period ended January, Ulta Beauty's ( ULTA ) EPS fell to $8.01 from $8.46 in the prior year period, below the FactSet-polled consensus of $8.10. Sales climbed 12% to nearly $3.9 billion, topping the Street's view for $3.84 billion.

Comparable sales moved 5.8% higher, driven by gains in transactions and average ticket. Analysts had modeled for 4.3% growth.

"Looking at the cadence of sales through the quarter, comp sales were fairly consistent, reflecting both the strong holiday season and the lapping of softness in January last year," DelOrefice told analysts. "We did see some impact from the weather at the end of January this year."