Ulta Beauty Inc vs Vanguard S&P 500 ETF — how do they compare? Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $489.47 (market cap $20.98B), while Vanguard S&P 500 ETF trades at $687.76. The key difference: Vanguard S&P 500 ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, Ulta Beauty Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ULTA | VOO | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $20.98B | — |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Broad Market / Factor |
52-Week High | $706.82 | $698.29 |
52-Week Low | $450.75 | $571.45 |
Enterprise Value | $23.06B | — |
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.
VOO, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, trades at $682.20, down slightly by 0.14% over 24 hours. Technical indicators show a bearish trend with moving averages signaling caution, though oscillators are neutral. The ETF recently surpassed $1.0 trillion in assets under management, reflecting strong institutional confidence. A dividend of $1.96 is scheduled for payment on June 30, 2026.
The outlook for VOO is mixed; its low-cost, diversified exposure to the S&P 500 offers long-term growth potential, but current technical weakness and elevated market valuations pose near-term risks. Investors should weigh the ETF's historical resilience against potential volatility from economic shifts or sector rotations.
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 →VOO is a foundational ETF that tracks the S&P 500 Index, providing exposure to 500 of the largest and most established companies in the United States. Renowned for its ultra-low expense ratio and tax efficiency, it serves as a core building block for long-term investors seeking to capture the total return of the U.S. large-cap market in a single, highly liquid vehicle.
Read more on VOO →