Morgan Stanley vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Morgan Stanley trades at $187.79 (market cap $294.39B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $567.93 (market cap $24.12B). The key difference: Morgan Stanley is far larger — about 12.2× Ulta Beauty Inc's market cap, and Morgan Stanley pays a 2.45% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Morgan Stanley for 93 Days and Ulta Beauty Inc for 92 Days on average.
| MS | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $294.39B | $24.12B |
Volume | 5,836,423 | 457,598 |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $228.42 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $151.86 | $450.75 |
Typical Hold Time | 93 Days | 92 Days |
Enterprise Value | $660.04B | $26.43B |
Dividend Yield | 2.45% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Morgan Stanley (MS) trades at $189.71, down 0.66% with bearish technical signals despite strong fundamentals. The company has delivered three consecutive earnings beats with Q2 2026 EPS of $3.46 beating expectations by $0.57. Revenue growth accelerated to $66.0 billion in 2025 with net income margin expanding to 27.59%. Analyst consensus remains bullish with 55.77% buy ratings and a $229.25 price target representing 21% upside potential.
The investment case balances strong profitability and growth opportunities in wealth management and AI financing against concerning cash flow trends and technical weakness. While valuation appears reasonable at 15.14 P/E, investors face risks from volatile operating cash flows and rising debt levels. The stock offers attractive upside to analyst targets but requires monitoring of capital markets recovery timing.
ULTA Beauty trades at $545.48, down 0.33% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings beat and raised 2026 guidance, though Q4 2025 missed expectations. Valuation metrics show a P/E of 20.55 and P/S of 1.92, with robust profitability including 46.12% ROE. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 59.57% buy ratings and a $624.93 price target, representing 14.6% upside potential.
ULTA presents a compelling growth story with e-commerce momentum and expansion into wellness categories, though margin compression and flat traffic pose near-term challenges. The stock offers attractive upside to analyst targets but faces execution risks amid consumer spending pressures. Institutional ownership remains strong with recent buying activity from major funds.
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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 →