Nasdaq Inc vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Nasdaq Inc trades at $90.25 (market cap $51.96B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $489.47 (market cap $20.98B). The key difference: Nasdaq Inc is far larger — about 2.5× Ulta Beauty Inc's market cap, and Nasdaq Inc pays a 1.22% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NDAQ | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $51.96B | $20.98B |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $100.98 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $76.85 | $450.75 |
Enterprise Value | $59.02B | $23.06B |
Dividend Yield | 1.22% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Nasdaq (NDAQ) trades at $90.24, down 1.53% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a consensus analyst price target of $107.00. The company reported strong earnings beats in recent quarters, with Q1 2026 EPS of $0.96 exceeding expectations, and maintains robust profitability with a net income margin of 23.03%. Recent news highlights strategic growth, including the acquisition of Nasdaq Fund Secondaries by NPM, expanding its platform beyond direct company shares.
The outlook for NDAQ is positive, supported by organic revenue growth and strategic acquisitions, though risks include market volatility and execution challenges. With 61.11% of analysts rating it a buy and a price target implying ~19% upside, the stock presents a growth opportunity for investors focused on financial infrastructure expansion, balanced by monitoring debt levels and competitive pressures.
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.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Founded in 1971, Nasdaq is primarily known for its equity exchange, but in addition to its market-services business (about 35% of sales), the company sells and distributes market data as well as offers Nasdaq-branded indexes to asset managers and investors through its information-services segment (30%). Nasdaq's corporate-services business (20%) offers listing services and related investor relations products to publicly traded companies and through the company's market technology group (15%), Nasdaq facilitates the exchange operations of other exchanges throughout the world and provides financial compliance services.
Read more on NDAQ →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.
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