For the quarter ended January 2023, Ulta Beauty (ULTA Quick QuoteULTA - Free Report) reported revenue of $3.23 billion, up 18.2% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $6.68, compared to $5.41 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +6.22% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.04 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $5.69, the EPS surprise was +17.40%.

While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Ulta performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Comparable store sales-YoY change ( Domestic retail): 15.6% compared to the 7.56% average estimate based on eight analysts.
• Number of stores - Total: 1355 versus 1355 estimated by six analysts on average.
• Total gross square footage [K]: 14200.4 KSQFT versus the four-analyst average estimate of 14266.37 KSQFT.
• Number of stores opened-Total: 12 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 12.

View all Key Company Metrics for Ulta here>>>

Shares of Ulta have returned +0.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.9% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.