Ulta reports 22 percent increase in sales

Ulta Beauty Inc. announced its fourth-quarter and full fiscal 2017 financial results, posting adjusted earnings of $2.75 per share and revenues of $1.94 billion.

Ulta's revenues jumped 15.7 percent from $1.58 billion in the year-ago period. For the full year the company posted sales of $5.88 billion.

Looking ahead to its upcoming first quarter, Ulta expects to post revenues between $1.51 billion and $1.52 billion - our current consensus estimate calls for $1.52 billion.

"The Ulta Beauty team delivered excellent results in 2017, achieving 11 percent comparable sales growth and 25 percent adjusted earnings growth," said CEO Mary Dillon. "We also achieved strong sales and earnings growth in Q4 while continuing to gain market share and make significant progress on our strategic imperatives, despite continued moderation in the growth rate of makeup, our largest category."

Ulta Beauty Inc. is a beauty retailer primarily in the United States and the premier beauty destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skin, hair care products and salon services. Ulta Beauty, Inc., formerly known as Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc., is based in Bolingbrook.

During the fourth quarter, the company opened 16 stores and ended the year with 1,074 stores and square footage of 11,300,920, representing a 10 percent increase in square footage compared to fiscal 2016.