Morgan Stanley vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Morgan Stanley trades at $216.3 (market cap $338.50B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $542.13 (market cap $23.59B). The key difference: Morgan Stanley is far larger — about 14.3× Ulta Beauty Inc's market cap, and Morgan Stanley pays a 2.14% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MS | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $338.50B | $23.59B |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $228.42 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $144.04 | $450.75 |
Dividend Yield | 2.14% | — |
Enterprise Value | — | $25.67B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Morgan Stanley (MS) trades at $215.1, down 0.54% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and key support at $214. The company reported strong earnings beats in recent quarters, with Q2 2026 EPS of $3.46 surpassing expectations of $2.89. Revenue growth accelerated to $66.0B in 2025, and net income margin improved to 25.56%. Recent news highlights Morgan Stanley's role in leading Anthropic's IPO and expanding AI integration in wealth management.
The outlook remains positive with a consensus price target of $239.58, implying 11% upside. Strengths include robust profitability and strategic initiatives, but risks involve volatile cash flows from operations and high leverage. Analyst sentiment is bullish with 56% buy ratings, though investors should monitor debt levels and market volatility.
ULTA stock trades at $565.15, up 4.89% in the last session, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages and strong support at $547. The company reported Q1 2026 EPS of $7.74, beating estimates, but faces margin compression with net income margin declining to 10.63% in 2025. Recent news highlights the end of its Target partnership as a potential growth opportunity, per BofA analysis on July 29, 2026.
The stock offers upside to the consensus price target of $618.29, with 57% of analysts rating it a buy, but risks include competitive pressures and volatile cash flows, with net cash flow turning negative in 2025. Investors should weigh robust ROE of 47.45% against elevated P/B of 9.41 and RSI levels suggesting overbought conditions.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank whose history, through its legacy firms, can be traced back to 1924. The company has institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management segments. The company had about $5 trillion of client assets as well as over 70,000 employees at the end of 2021. Approximately 50% of the company's net revenue is from its institutional securities business, with the remainder coming from wealth and investment management. The company derives about 30% of its total revenue outside the Americas.
Read more on MS →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 →