Monster Beverage Corp vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Monster Beverage Corp trades at $45.55 (market cap $89.20B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $534.27 (market cap $23.27B). The key difference: Monster Beverage Corp is far larger — about 3.8× Ulta Beauty Inc's market cap, and Monster Beverage Corp is trading nearer its 52-week high, Ulta Beauty Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MNST | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $89.20B | $23.27B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $49.97 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $30.86 | $450.75 |
Enterprise Value | $87.49B | $25.35B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Monster Beverage (MNST) trades at $45.69, up 1.13% today. The stock shows strong fundamentals with Q2 2026 EPS of $0.60 beating estimates, driven by 20% revenue growth and a 23.08% net income margin. A 2-for-1 stock split occurred on August 11, 2026. However, technical indicators signal a bearish trend, with the current price below key resistance levels. Analyst consensus is bullish with a $51.14 price target, but high valuation ratios like a P/E of 42.16 pose risks.
Outlook: MNST's international expansion and earnings beats support growth, but stretched valuations and bearish technicals suggest near-term volatility. Investment opportunity lies in sustained profit margins, while risks include competitive pressures and premium pricing sensitivity.
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
Monster Beverage is a leader in the energy drink subsegment of the beverage industry. The Monster trademark anchors the portfolio, and notable offerings include Monster Energy and Monster Ultra. The firm has also started to incubate new trademarks for emerging enclaves of the energy space, like Reign in performance energy. It is primarily a brand owner, outsourcing most of its manufacturing processes to third-party copackers. It primarily uses the Coca-Cola bottling system for distribution after a strategic agreement in which Coke became Monster's largest shareholder (nearly 20%) and that also included the exchange of certain businesses between the two firms. Most of Monster's revenue is generated in the United States, though international geographies are increasing in the mix.
Read more on MNST →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 →