Ulta Beauty Inc vs Vital Farms Inc — how do they compare? Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $531.85 (market cap $23.27B), while Vital Farms Inc trades at $11.45 (market cap $496.50M). The key difference: Ulta Beauty Inc is far larger — about 46.9× Vital Farms Inc's market cap, and Ulta Beauty Inc is trading nearer its 52-week high, Vital Farms Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ULTA | VITL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $23.27B | $496.50M |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $706.82 | $52.41 |
52-Week Low | $450.75 | $8.28 |
Enterprise Value | $25.35B | $583.51M |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
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.
Vital Farms (VITL) trades at $11.52, up 2.31% today, amid bearish technical signals and challenging fundamentals. The stock shows oversold conditions with RSI at 29.21, while recent Q2 2026 results revealed a $0.47 per share loss despite beating revenue estimates. The company secured $125 million in financing to navigate industry oversupply pressures and elevated costs affecting profitability.
While analyst consensus remains positive with a $13.00 price target and no sell ratings, near-term headwinds from margin compression and net cash outflows pose significant risks. The stock's valuation appears reasonable with P/E of 11.77 and P/S of 0.67, but investors should monitor execution on cost management and revenue stabilization for sustainable recovery.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →Vital Farms is a leading provider of ethically produced, pasture-raised eggs and butter in the United States. Operating as a Public Benefit Corporation, it manages a network of over 650 family farms to deliver high-welfare food products. It leverages a scalable 'asset-light' partnership model that prioritizes transparency and animal welfare to meet the growing consumer demand for clean-label and sustainable food sources.
Read more on VITL →