Ross Stores, Inc. vs Ulta Beauty Inc — how do they compare? Ross Stores, Inc. trades at $249.66 (market cap $80.78B), while Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $537.48 (market cap $23.27B). The key difference: Ross Stores, Inc. is far larger — about 3.5× Ulta Beauty Inc's market cap, and Ross Stores, Inc. pays a 0.71% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ROST | ULTA | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $80.78B | $23.27B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $255.23 | $706.82 |
52-Week Low | $144.67 | $450.75 |
Enterprise Value | $81.37B | $25.35B |
Dividend Yield | 0.71% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Ross Stores (ROST) trades at $254.83, near its consensus price target of $259.00, with a slight 0.16% decline. The stock shows strong fundamentals, including a 9.74% net income margin and 38.98% ROE for 2025, with recent quarterly earnings consistently beating estimates. Technical indicators are bullish, supported by positive moving averages and recent store expansion news.
The outlook remains positive due to robust earnings growth and analyst buy ratings (63.83% consensus). Key risks include high valuation multiples (P/E of 35.17) and competitive pressures in discount retail. Upside potential exists if Q2 2026 earnings beat expectations, but macroeconomic headwinds could pressure consumer spending.
ULTA Beauty trades at $548.66, down 2.92% on the day, with strong technical momentum indicated by bullish moving averages and key support at $542. Fundamentally, the company maintains robust profitability with 39.33% gross margins and 47.45% ROE, though recent earnings showed mixed results with a Q4 miss. Revenue growth has been consistent, reaching $11.3B in 2025, while analyst sentiment remains positive with 56.53% buy ratings.
The outlook for ULTA remains favorable with a consensus price target of $618.29 offering 12.7% upside potential. Key opportunities include omnichannel expansion and digital growth initiatives, while risks involve margin pressure from rising costs and competitive retail landscape. Institutional ownership trends show continued confidence with recent position increases by major funds.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Ross Stores is a leading American off-price apparel and home fashion retailer, operating over 1,920 stores (at the end of fiscal 2021) across the Ross Dress for Less and dd's Discounts banners. Ross offers a variety of name-brand products and targets undercutting conventional retailers' regular prices by 20%-70%. The company uses an opportunistic, flexible merchandising approach
Read more on ROST →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 →