Sally Beauty (SBH) Receives Upgrade to Buy: Reasons Explained
Sally Beauty Upgrade: Sally Beauty (SBH) has been upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) due to an upward trend in earnings estimates, indicating a positive outlook for the company's stock price.
Earnings Estimates Impact: The Zacks rating system emphasizes the correlation between earnings estimate revisions and stock price movements, suggesting that rising estimates can lead to higher stock valuations.
Zacks Rank System: The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks based on earnings estimates, with only the top 20% receiving a "Strong Buy" or "Buy" rating, highlighting Sally Beauty's strong position in this context.
Future Earnings Projections: Analysts have raised their earnings estimates for Sally Beauty, projecting earnings of $2.06 per share for the fiscal year ending September 2026, which remains unchanged from the previous year.
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- Earnings Release Date: Sally Beauty is set to release its Q1 earnings before the market opens on February 9, with analysts forecasting earnings of 46 cents per share, an increase from 43 cents in the same period last year, indicating ongoing improvement in profitability.
- Revenue Expectations: The company anticipates quarterly revenue of $940.15 million, slightly above last year's $937.89 million, suggesting stable sales performance amid market competition, potentially reflecting sustained consumer demand for beauty products.
- Stock Price Movement: Despite optimistic earnings expectations, Sally Beauty's stock fell 2.8% to close at $16.16 last Friday, which may indicate market caution ahead of the earnings report, prompting investors to closely monitor subsequent performance.
- Analyst Ratings: Recent analyst ratings from Benzinga reveal a diverse outlook on Sally Beauty, and investors can access more information through the Analyst Ratings page to aid in decision-making and enhance investment confidence.
- Earnings Highlights: Sally Beauty's Q1 2026 earnings report reveals a Non-GAAP EPS of $0.48, beating estimates by $0.02, with revenue of $943.17 million reflecting a 0.6% year-over-year increase, surpassing expectations by $3.02 million, indicating stable market performance.
- E-commerce Growth: Global e-commerce sales reached $111 million, accounting for 11.7% of net sales; while consolidated comparable sales remained flat, the growth in e-commerce supports future sales potential and reflects changing consumer shopping habits.
- Cash Flow Performance: The first quarter saw cash flow from operations of $93 million and free cash flow of $57 million, demonstrating strong cash flow performance that supports ongoing investments and shareholder returns, indicating a healthy financial position for the company.
- Fiscal Year 2026 Guidance: The company projects Q2 net sales between $895 million and $905 million, with adjusted EPS guidance of $0.39 to $0.42, reflecting confidence in future growth despite slight discrepancies with market consensus.
- Strong Financial Performance: Sally Beauty achieved a 12% growth in adjusted EPS for Q1 of fiscal 2026, indicating the company's ability to meet market expectations while maintaining healthy gross margins, which enhances investor confidence.
- Robust Cash Flow: As of December 31, 2025, the company reported $93 million in cash flow from operations and $57 million in free cash flow, enabling it to repay $20 million in term loan debt and repurchase 1.4 million shares, thereby increasing shareholder value.
- Optimized Inventory Management: The company's inventory stood at $979 million, down 2.7% year-over-year, demonstrating effective inventory management that helps improve operational efficiency and reduce capital lock-up.
- Ongoing Strategic Investments: The company continues to advance its strategic initiatives aimed at accelerating growth and enhancing profitability, which not only lays the groundwork for future market expansion but also creates long-term value for shareholders.
- Earnings Announcement: Sally Beauty (SBH) is set to announce its FQ1 earnings on February 9th before market open, with consensus EPS estimate at $0.46 and revenue at $940.15 million, which could positively impact stock performance if achieved.
- Performance Expectations: Over the past two years, SBH has exceeded EPS estimates 75% of the time and revenue estimates 50% of the time, indicating a strong track record of profitability and market confidence.
- Revision Trends: In the last three months, EPS estimates have seen no upward revisions but four downward adjustments, while revenue estimates also faced three downward revisions, suggesting a cautious market outlook on the company's future performance.
- Cost Savings Target: Sally Beauty aims for $120 million in cumulative cost savings by 2026 while launching the Sally Ignited store refresh initiative, designed to enhance customer experience and drive sales growth.
- Retail Stocks on Sale: Retail stocks are currently undervalued, presenting a potential opportunity for investors looking for bargains.
- Investment Opportunity: The decline in retail stock prices may attract bargain hunters seeking to capitalize on lower valuations.
- Product Innovation: Sally Beauty introduces the ion® 24K collection to address the concerns of 40% of U.S. consumers regarding hair damage, utilizing TRICHOPOWER™ SCIENCE technology to reverse damage in just three minutes, significantly enhancing consumer experience.
- Effective Hair Care: The Rapid Recovery Peptide Leave-In Hair Treatment can reverse hair damage in three minutes while maintaining up to 87% of hair's natural foundation, helping consumers save over 60% compared to leading competitors, showcasing a clear price advantage.
- Multi-Functional Products: The Metal & Mineral Neutralizing Spray ensures even color absorption when used as a pre-treatment, while the pH Perfector Purifying Shampoo balances hair pH during cleansing, enhancing hair health and resilience, thus meeting consumer demand for high-performance hair care products.
- Market Expansion: Sally Beauty plans to unveil a new collection of ion® tools in spring 2026, further enriching its product line and promising smoother, shinier hair, reflecting the company's ongoing commitment to meeting modern consumer needs.








