UL

Ulta Beauty, Inc. stock research

Jan 28, 2023

FY2022 Q4

Ulta Beauty (ULTA) Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Jan 28, 2023

Revenue and gross profit both increased compared to the prior quarter and the same quarter last year, while cost of revenue also rose. Gross margin weakened from the prior quarter but remained stable versus the year-ago quarter.

Gross margin takeaway

Quarter ended Jan 28, 2023 · FY2022 Q4

Revenue and gross profit both increased compared to the prior quarter and the same quarter last year, while cost of revenue also rose. Gross margin weakened from the prior quarter but remained stable versus the year-ago quarter.

  • The strongest observable margin driver is the relationship between revenue and cost of revenue: revenue grew faster than cost of revenue compared to the year-ago quarter, supporting stable gross margin. Compared to the prior quarter, cost of revenue increased more rapidly than revenue, leading to margin compression.
  • Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, gross margin was lower, as revenue increased but cost of revenue grew at a faster pace. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, gross margin was unchanged, with both revenue and cost of revenue rising proportionally.

Gross margin snapshot

The selected quarter's reported revenue, gross profit, direct costs, and margin comparisons.

Gross margin

37.6%

Gross profit

$1.2B

Revenue

$3.2B

Cost of revenue

$2.0B

Quarter-over-quarter change

n/a

Year-over-year change

-0.1 pts

Quarterly gross margin trend

A four-quarter view of the revenue and direct-cost bridge behind gross margin.

PeriodRevenueGross profitCost of revenueGross margin
Jan 28, 2023$3.2B$1.2B$2.0B37.6%

Quarterly comparisons

Compare the selected margin with the preceding quarter and the same fiscal quarter one year earlier.

Previous-quarter change

Previous quarter unavailable

n/a

Year-over-year change

Jan 29, 2022

-0.1 pts

What the margin says

Filing-constrained interpretation of margin direction, comparisons, and what to monitor next.

The strongest observable margin driver is the relationship between revenue and cost of revenue: revenue grew faster than cost of revenue compared to the year-ago quarter, supporting stable gross margin. Compared to the prior quarter, cost of revenue increased more rapidly than revenue, leading to margin compression.

Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, gross margin was lower, as revenue increased but cost of revenue grew at a faster pace. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, gross margin was unchanged, with both revenue and cost of revenue rising proportionally.

Monitor the trend in cost of revenue relative to revenue, as its faster growth in the current quarter compared to the prior quarter drove margin weakening.