Prospect Capital Corporation vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Prospect Capital Corporation trades at $2.14 (market cap $1.08B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $480 (market cap $21.04B). The key difference: Ulta Beauty Inc is far larger — about 19.5× Prospect Capital Corporation's market cap, and Prospect Capital Corporation pays a 23.26% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| PSEC | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $1.08B | $21.04B |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $3.47 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $2.15 | $450.75 |
Dividend Yield | 23.26% | — |
Enterprise Value | — | $23.12B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Prospect Capital Corporation (PSEC) trades at $2.15, down 4.44% on the day, reflecting persistent bearish technical signals. The company's fundamentals are challenged, with negative revenue of -$407M and a net income margin of -495.94% for 2025, though it has beaten EPS estimates for the last three consecutive quarters. Recent corporate actions include regular dividend payments, while news highlights portfolio activity and deep discounts to net asset value.
The outlook remains cautious due to weak profitability and a bearish analyst consensus. The primary opportunity lies in the stock's high yield and significant discount to book value, but risks include ongoing revenue volatility, declining net asset value, and skepticism about portfolio quality. Investors should weigh income potential against fundamental deterioration.
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
Prospect Capital Corp is a closed-end investment company based in the United States. Its investment objective is to generate both current income and long-term capital appreciation through debt and equity investments. The company invests primarily in senior and subordinated debt and equity of private companies for acquisitions, divestitures, growth, development, recapitalizations, and other purposes. It makes investments, including lending in private equity, sponsored transactions, directly to companies, investments in structured credit, real estate, and syndicated debt.
Read more on PSEC →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 →