Ulta Beauty Inc vs Upwork Inc — how do they compare? Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $542.26 (market cap $24.12B), while Upwork Inc trades at $8.31 (market cap $1.04B). The key difference: Ulta Beauty Inc is far larger — about 23.2× Upwork Inc's market cap, and Ulta Beauty Inc is trading nearer its 52-week high, Upwork Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ULTA | UPWK | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $24.12B | $1.04B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Industrials |
52-Week High | $706.82 | $22.11 |
52-Week Low | $450.75 | $7.84 |
Enterprise Value | $26.43B | $802.40M |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
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.
Upwork (UPWK) is trading at $8.32, down 5.35% on the day, with a bearish technical signal and recent earnings volatility. The company maintains strong profitability metrics including a 77.21% gross margin and 12.93% net income margin, though Q2 2026 earnings beat was overshadowed by weak guidance. Recent news highlights multiple securities fraud investigations alongside AI integration developments.
The stock presents a mixed outlook with attractive valuation multiples (P/E 10.67, P/S 1.44) but faces headwinds from AI disruption and legal scrutiny. Analyst consensus leans bullish with a $9.00 price target, though technical indicators suggest near-term pressure with support at $8.00.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Upwork Inc is a United States-based company that operates an online marketplace that enables businesses to find and work with highly-skilled independent professionals. The develops platform for hiring and freelancing purposes. Its products offering include Upwork Basic, Upwork Plus, Upwork Business, Upwork Enterprise, and Upwork Payroll. The business generates revenue from Talent and Clients across the USA, India, the Philippines and the rest of the world. Substantial income is derived from providing services to Clients.
Read more on UPWK →