2 Consumer-Centric Stocks to Consider as Earnings Approach: OLLI, ULTA

While Q2 results from Nvidia NVDA will highlight this week’s earnings lineup, a pair of consumer-centric stocks are also worthy of attention in Ollie’s Bargain Outlet OLLI and Ulta Beauty ULTA.

Set to release their Q2 reports on Thursday, August 28, Ollie’s and Ulta stock have drifted toward 52-week highs and are sporting a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), respectively.

Driving their pleasant stock performances over the last year has been Ollie’s steady expansion as a brick-and-mortar value retailer of brand-name merchandise, with Ulta reaping the benefits of a revamped product line that has boosted consumer interest for the cosmetics and fragrance leader.  

Ollie’s & Ulta Q2 Expectations

Based on Zacks' estimates, Ollie’s Q2 sales are thought to have increased 14% to $662.68 million compared to $578.38 million a year ago. Even better, Ollie’s Q2 earnings are expected to spike over 16% to $0.91 per share from EPS of $0.78 in the comparative quarter.

Notably, Ollie’s has reached or exceeded EPS estimates in three of its last four quarterly reports with an average earnings surprise of 2.02%. It’s also noteworthy that the Zacks ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) indicates Ollie’s should meet its Q2 EPS expectations with the Most Accurate and recent estimate among Wall Street analysts being on par with the underlying Zacks Consensus of $0.91.

As for Ulta, its Q2 sales are projected to be up 4% to $2.65 billion from $2.55 billion in the prior period. Although Ulta’s Q2 EPS is expected to dip 5% to $5.03, the Zacks ESP suggests the beauty retailer could comfortably exceed these expectations with the Most Accurate and recent estimate at $5.13 (Current Qtr below). Plus, Ulta has exceeded EPS estimates in three of its last four quarterly reports with an impressive average earnings surprise of 11.88%.  

Positive EPS Revisions

Attributing to the buy ratings for Ollie’s and Ulta stock is that full-year earnings estimate revisions have remained higher over the last 60 days for their current fiscal 2026 and FY27.

With its EPS revisions slightly up in the last two months, Ollie’s annual earnings are currently slated to spike 14% in FY26 and are projected to pop another 14% in FY27 to $4.28 per share.

Pivoting to Ulta, annual earnings are now expected to dip 7% in its FY26 to $23.63 per share, but these estimates are up over 1% in the last 60 days. Magnifying Ulta’s robust bottom line is that FY27 EPS is projected to rebound and rise 9% to $25.84, with these estimates up nearly 1% in the last two months as well.

Bottom Line

As two of the top momentum stocks of late, Ollie’s and Ulta stock could be poised for higher highs, especially if they can reach or exceed their Q2 expectations. In the last three months, Ulta stock has now surged more than +25% and checks an “A” Zacks Style Scores grade for Momentum, with Ollie’s having a “B” score in this regard and up over +15% in the last three months. 

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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