Morgan Stanley vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Morgan Stanley trades at $215.61 (market cap $339.62B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $542.26 (market cap $24.12B). The key difference: Morgan Stanley is far larger — about 14.1× Ulta Beauty Inc's market cap, and Morgan Stanley pays a 2.13% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MS | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $339.62B | $24.12B |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $228.42 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $151.86 | $450.75 |
Dividend Yield | 2.13% | — |
Enterprise Value | — | $26.43B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Morgan Stanley (MS) trades at $215.33, down 1.09% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a consensus analyst price target of $239.58. Revenue grew to $66.0 billion in 2025, with net income margin expanding to 25.56%, and the company has beaten EPS estimates in recent quarters. Recent news highlights its role in leading Anthropic's IPO and advancements in AI integration for wealth management.
The outlook remains positive given strong earnings momentum and strategic initiatives, though risks include volatile cash flows from operations and high leverage. Wall Street sentiment is bullish with 55.77% of analysts rating it a Buy, supporting potential upside from current levels amid broader financial sector strength.
ULTA Beauty trades at $549.23, down 2.64% today, amid mixed signals. The stock shows a bullish technical trend with strong moving averages, while fundamentals reveal steady revenue growth to $11.30B in 2025, though net income margin has softened to 9.34%. Recent Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations, and the company raised full-year guidance, yet some segments like cosmetics showed flat performance.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic, with a consensus price target of $653.14 implying significant upside. Key opportunities include digital growth and AI integration potential, but risks involve competitive pressures and reliance on discretionary consumer spending. Analyst sentiment remains predominantly bullish, supporting a favorable risk-reward profile for long-term investors.
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 →