Dollar General Corp. vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Dollar General Corp. trades at $119.94 (market cap $26.49B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $544.78 (market cap $23.27B). The key difference: Dollar General Corp. and Ulta Beauty Inc are close in size by market cap, and Dollar General Corp. pays a 1.97% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| DG | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $26.49B | $23.27B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $156.26 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $95.94 | $450.75 |
Enterprise Value | $40.93B | $25.35B |
Dividend Yield | 1.97% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Dollar General (DG) trades at $122.39, down 3.32% on the day, with a bearish technical signal. The stock shows strong fundamentals with a P/E of 16.98 and P/S of 0.62, indicating potential undervaluation. Recent earnings have consistently beaten estimates, with Q1 2026 EPS of $2.00 surpassing the $1.89 expectation. Positive cash flow trends and a declining debt-to-asset ratio (20.03 in 2025) support financial health. A dividend of $0.59 is scheduled for payment on July 21, 2026.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic, with a consensus price target of $128.45 offering ~5% upside. Analyst sentiment is bullish (52% Buy ratings), but risks include competitive pressure from Walmart and Amazon, margin compression from rising costs, and market saturation. Revenue growth is projected to reach $43.1B in 2026, though net margin remains thin at 3.63%.
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
A leading American discount retailer, Dollar General operates over 18,000 stores in 47 states, selling branded and private-label products across a wide variety of categories. In fiscal 2021, 77% of net sales came from consumables (including paper and cleaning products, packaged and perishable food, tobacco, and health and beauty items), 12% from seasonal merchandise (such as toys, greeting cards, decorations, and gardening supplies), 7% from home products (for example, kitchen supplies, small appliances, and cookware), and 4% from basic apparel. Stores average roughly 7,400 square feet, and about 75% of Dollar General locations are in towns of 20,000 or fewer people. The firm emphasizes value, with most of its items sold at everyday low prices of $5 or less.
Read more on DG →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 →