Global Payments Inc vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Global Payments Inc trades at $88.53 (market cap $22.72B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $531.85 (market cap $23.27B). The key difference: Global Payments Inc and Ulta Beauty Inc are close in size by market cap, and Global Payments Inc pays a 1.16% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| GPN | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $22.72B | $23.27B |
Sector | Industrials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $90.01 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $62.47 | $450.75 |
Enterprise Value | $40.87B | $25.35B |
Dividend Yield | 1.16% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Global Payments (GPN) trades at $88.65, up 2.93% today, with a bullish technical signal and consistent earnings beats. The stock shows strong profitability with a 63.91% gross margin but negative net income margin and ROE. Recent Q2 2026 EPS of $3.46 beat estimates, though revenue guidance was trimmed. Analyst consensus is a Buy with a $96.67 target.
GPN offers upside to analyst targets but faces risks from margin pressure and competitive fintech landscape. Debt-to-asset ratio rose to 41.57% in 2025, increasing financial leverage concerns. Investment appeal hinges on execution of the Genius platform strategy amid economic headwinds.
ULTA stock trades at $532.14, down 3.01% today, amid mixed technical signals with a bullish moving average trend but neutral oscillators. The company reported Q1 2026 EPS of $7.74, beating expectations, and maintains strong profitability with a 39.33% gross margin and 47.45% ROE. Recent news highlights Ulta's omnichannel growth strategy and the end of its Target partnership, viewed as a potential revenue opportunity by analysts.
Outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $618.29, representing 16% upside, supported by 56.53% analyst buy ratings. Risks include margin compression, with net income margin projected to drop to 9.35% in 2026, and volatile cash flows, as net cash flow turned negative in 2025. Investors should weigh strong fundamentals against competitive and execution risks in the retail sector.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Global Payments is a leading provider of payment processing and software solutions and focuses on serving small and midsize merchants. The company operates in 30 countries and generates about one fourth of its revenue from outside North America, primarily in Europe and Asia. In 2019, Global Payments merged with Total System Services in an all-stock deal that gave Total System Services shareholders 48% of the combined company's shares.
Read more on GPN →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 →