Nasdaq Inc vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Nasdaq Inc trades at $94.91 (market cap $53.11B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $531.85 (market cap $23.27B). The key difference: Nasdaq Inc is far larger — about 2.3× 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 | $53.11B | $23.27B |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $100.98 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $76.85 | $450.75 |
Enterprise Value | $59.57B | $25.35B |
Dividend Yield | 1.22% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Nasdaq (NDAQ) trades at $95.92, up 0.31% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and strong support at $95. The company reported robust earnings beats in recent quarters, with Q2 2026 EPS of $1.07 exceeding expectations, and revenue growth accelerated to $8.26 billion in 2025. Recent news includes the acquisition of LeveL Markets, advancing its always-on markets strategy.
The outlook is positive, supported by analyst consensus of $109.20 price target and 61% buy ratings. Key opportunities include sustained revenue growth and strategic acquisitions, while risks involve competitive pressures and market volatility. The stock offers a dividend yield with recent payouts of $0.31 per share.
ULTA stock trades at $532.14, down 3.01% today, amid mixed technical signals with a bullish moving average trend but neutral oscillators. The company reported Q1 2026 EPS of $7.74, beating expectations, and maintains strong profitability with a 39.33% gross margin and 47.45% ROE. Recent news highlights Ulta's omnichannel growth strategy and the end of its Target partnership, viewed as a potential revenue opportunity by analysts.
Outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $618.29, representing 16% upside, supported by 56.53% analyst buy ratings. Risks include margin compression, with net income margin projected to drop to 9.35% in 2026, and volatile cash flows, as net cash flow turned negative in 2025. Investors should weigh strong fundamentals against competitive and execution risks in the retail sector.
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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