-- Shares in Gap (NYSE:) surged in premarket U.S. trading on Friday after the retailer posted higher-than-anticipated third-quarter income, although the firm flagged some caution over trading in its key holiday quarter.

In the three months to Oct. 28, the San Francisco-based owner of brands like Athleta and Banana Republic reported adjusted profit of $0.59 per share, trouncing Bloomberg consensus estimates of $0.19, thanks in part to moderating promotional activity, lower input costs, and strength at its Old Navy division.

Same store sales declined by 2%, but that was well below estimates for a fall of 8.7%.

"Even with a very high bar, [Gap] delivered the most compelling beat this [earnings] season," analysts at Wells Fargo said in a note to clients. "The story has legs."

Analysts viewed the returns as largely positive for new Chief Executive Officer Richard Dickson, the former Mattel (NASDAQ:) executive who has been tasked with driving a recovery in recently sluggish demand for Gap's casual attire.

Yet Dickson conceded in a post-earnings call that the company, which has also been hit by increased competition from peers like Shein and Amazon.com (NASDAQ:), still needs to create "trend-right product assortments" to bring more customers back into its stores.  

"[W]e believe the company is still in the early innings of its turnaround and remain cautious," analysts at Jefferies said in a note.

Gap projected flat to slightly negative net sales growth in the current quarter, disappointing expectations that it would forecast an increase of 0.33%, according to LSEG numbers cited by Reuters. Sales at Banana Republic and Athleta, in particular, are seen falling during the period, which includes the crucial holiday shopping season.

Gap's outlook echoes comments this week from peers Target and Walmart (NYSE:), in a sign that retail chains are still wary of the spending habits of inflation-squeezed consumers.

Yasin Ebrahim contributed to this report.