Ulta Beauty Inc vs Upwork Inc — how do they compare? Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $489.47 (market cap $20.98B), while Upwork Inc trades at $9.17 (market cap $1.15B). The key difference: Ulta Beauty Inc is far larger — about 18.2× Upwork Inc's market cap. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ULTA | UPWK | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $20.98B | $1.15B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Industrials |
52-Week High | $706.82 | $22.11 |
52-Week Low | $450.75 | $7.84 |
Enterprise Value | $23.06B | $952.17M |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
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.
UPWK trades at $9.19, up 1.43% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages. The company reported $788M revenue in 2025 with strong profitability margins (net income margin 13.81%) and attractive valuation ratios (P/E 11.52, P/S 1.64). Recent news highlights AI integration initiatives and Q2 2026 earnings anticipation, though legal investigations pose sentiment headwinds.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic with a $10.67 analyst price target suggesting 16% upside. Key opportunities include sustained revenue growth and AI-powered marketplace expansion, while risks involve earnings misses, legal overhangs, and competitive pressures in the gig economy space.
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 →