Compare Monster Beverage Corp (MNST) vs Ulta Beauty Inc (ULTA) Price & Performance
Price performance (Past 24H)
Key statistics
Key statistics
Monster Beverage Corp vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Monster Beverage Corp trades at $94.46 (market cap $93.35B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $489.47 (market cap $20.98B). The key difference: Monster Beverage Corp is far larger — about 4.4× 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 | $93.35B | $20.98B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $99.94 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $58.75 | $450.75 |
Enterprise Value | $91.65B | $23.06B |
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Monster Beverage (MNST) trades at $94.46, down 3.12% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages and ADX signals. The company reported strong earnings beats in recent quarters, with Q1 2026 EPS of $0.58 exceeding the $0.527 estimate, and maintains robust profitability with a net income margin of 23.11%. A 2-for-1 stock split is scheduled for August 2026, reflecting confidence in future growth.
The investment outlook is positive, driven by consistent earnings outperformance, international expansion, and product innovation. Risks include elevated valuation multiples (P/E of 46.11) and competitive pressures in the beverage sector. Analyst consensus is bullish with a $97.83 price target, suggesting modest upside from current levels.
ULTA Beauty trades at $489.47, up 2.06% with a bullish technical signal despite mixed moving averages. The company maintains strong profitability with 39.33% gross margins and 47.45% ROE, though net margins have declined from 12.17% in 2023 to 10.63% in 2025. Recent Q1 2026 earnings beat expectations at $7.74 EPS versus $6.89 expected, while Q4 2025 missed. Analyst consensus remains strongly positive with 26 buy ratings and a $618.29 price target, representing 26% upside potential.
ULTA presents a compelling growth story with international expansion and digital engagement driving long-term potential. However, investors face risks from margin compression, competitive pressures in beauty retail, and volatile cash flow patterns. The stock's current valuation at 18.29x P/E appears reasonable given growth prospects, but requires monitoring of consumer spending trends and execution on strategic initiatives.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
About Monster Beverage Corp
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 →About Ulta Beauty Inc
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 →
