American Express Co vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? American Express Co trades at $340.68 (market cap $230.15B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $533.01 (market cap $23.27B). The key difference: American Express Co is far larger — about 9.9× Ulta Beauty Inc's market cap, and American Express Co pays a 1.11% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AXP | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $230.15B | $23.27B |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $384.82 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $292.27 | $450.75 |
Dividend Yield | 1.11% | — |
Enterprise Value | — | $25.35B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
American Express (AXP) trades at $338.86, down 0.6% with bearish technical signals despite strong fundamentals. The company reported solid Q2 2026 earnings beat ($4.53 vs $4.41 expected) and maintains robust profitability with 15.07% net margin and 33.97% ROE. Recent news highlights Amex Ventures' AI investments and premium card member experiences, while Berkshire Hathaway's 20% ownership underscores long-term confidence in the business model.
AXP presents a mixed outlook with strong fundamental performance offset by technical weakness. The stock offers 9% upside to consensus price target of $369.42, supported by revenue growth and premium positioning, but faces headwinds from bearish technical indicators and competitive pressure in digital payments. Risk-reward appears balanced near current levels.
ULTA Beauty trades at $548.66, down 2.92% on the day, with strong technical momentum indicated by bullish moving averages and key support at $542. Fundamentally, the company maintains robust profitability with 39.33% gross margins and 47.45% ROE, though recent earnings showed mixed results with a Q4 miss. Revenue growth has been consistent, reaching $11.3B in 2025, while analyst sentiment remains positive with 56.53% buy ratings.
The outlook for ULTA remains favorable with a consensus price target of $618.29 offering 12.7% upside potential. Key opportunities include omnichannel expansion and digital growth initiatives, while risks involve margin pressure from rising costs and competitive retail landscape. Institutional ownership trends show continued confidence with recent position increases by major funds.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
American Express Company is a global payment and travel company. The Company's principal products and services are charge and credit payment card products and travel-related services offered to consumers and businesses around the world.
Read more on AXP →With more than 1,300 stores and a partnership with Target, Ulta Beauty is the largest specialized beauty retailer in the U.S. The firm offers makeup (43% of 2021 sales), fragrances, skin care, and hair care products (20% of 2021 sales), and bath and body items. Ulta offers private-label products and merchandise from more than 500 vendors. It also offers salon services, including hair, makeup, skin, and brow services, in all stores. Most Ulta stores are approximately 10,000 square feet and are in suburban strip centers. Ulta was founded in 1990 and is based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
Read more on ULTA →