May 23 (Reuters) - Deckers Outdoor posted fourth-quarter results above Wall Street estimates on Thursday, riding robust demand for its premium-priced UGG boots and HOKA sneakers.

Shares of the company jumped nearly 8% following its report after the bell, adding to a 35% rally so far this year as it also reported an increase in quarterly gross margin.

Deckers Outdoor, akin to its rival On Holding, has witnessed solid demand over the past year for its sporting apparel and shoes, as it kept a tight inventory to spur demand across its wholesale and direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels.

"The company has two very strong brands that continue to resonate with consumers, UGG and HOKA. We see continued momentum at both brands due to comfort at UGG and running/outdoor consumer interest at HOKA," said Jessica Ramirez, analyst at Jane Hali & Associates.

Net sales at UGG brand jumped 14.9% to $361.3 million in the quarter ended March 31, while sales at HOKA jumped 34% to $533 million.

The company's DTC sales rose 21%, after a 19.5% jump last year, while those in wholesale rose 21.4%.

It expanded gross margins to 56.2%, compared with a 50% last year.

"We remain mindful that the outsized margin expansion experienced, particularly from historically low levels of promotion and discounting, may not repeat to the same degree in future period," Deckers' executives said on a post-earnings call.

Deckers posted a 21.2% jump in net sales of $959.8 million in the fourth quarter, compared with analysts' estimates of $887.6 million, according to LSEG data.

It earned a profit of $4.95 per share in the reported period, above expectations of $2.89 apiece.

The company projects net sales for fiscal 2025 to rise 10% to $4.70 billion, in line with expectations of $4.71 billion, according to LSEG data.

Deckers forecast profit per share in the range of $29.50 to $30, compared with expectations of $30.27. Gross margin for 2025 is expected to be 53.5%, compared with 55.6% reported in 2024.

(Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)