Investing.com -- Ulta Beauty Inc. (NASDAQ: ULTA) reported first-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations, with adjusted earnings per share of $7.74 beating the analyst consensus of $6.87 by $0.87. Revenue reached $3.16 billion, topping the estimate of $3.11 billion and marking an 11.1% increase from $2.85 billion in the year-ago period. Shares jumped over 5% in after-hours trading Tuesday.

Comparable sales rose 5.3% in the quarter, driven by a 3.7% increase in average ticket and a 1.6% increase in transactions. The company attributed the strong performance to broad-based growth across all channels and major categories, as well as the acquisition of Space NK. Gross profit margin expanded to 40.1% from 39.1% a year earlier, primarily due to lower inventory shrink and higher merchandise margin.

"Fiscal 2026 is off to a strong start driven by broad-based growth across all channels and major categories," said Kecia Steelman, president and chief executive officer. "Our results demonstrate the strengths of our model, focused execution of our talented associates, and the effectiveness of our strategy in an uncertain macroeconomic landscape."

For fiscal 2026, Ulta Beauty updated its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $28.36 to $28.80, up from the prior range of $28.05 to $28.55. The midpoint of $28.58 aligns with the analyst consensus of $28.58. The company maintained its net sales growth outlook of 6% to 7% and comparable sales growth projection of 2.5% to 3.5%, while slightly raising its operating income growth forecast to 6.5% to 9% from 6% to 9%.

During the quarter, Ulta Beauty returned $555.0 million to shareholders through share repurchases, buying back 958,323 shares. The company has $1.3 billion remaining under its $3.0 billion share repurchase program announced in October 2024.