Ulta Beauty Inc vs Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated — how do they compare? Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $489.47 (market cap $20.98B), while Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated trades at $478.06 (market cap $121.95B). The key difference: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is far larger — about 5.8× Ulta Beauty Inc's market cap, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is trading nearer its 52-week high, Ulta Beauty Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ULTA | VRTX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $20.98B | $121.95B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Health |
52-Week High | $706.82 | $529.59 |
52-Week Low | $450.75 | $366.54 |
Enterprise Value | $23.06B | $116.69B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
No Aura AI signal available yet.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) trades at $482.00, down 0.75% on the day, with mixed technical signals showing a bullish overall trend but bearish moving averages. The company maintains strong fundamentals with $12.0B revenue (2025), 35.51% net margin, and recent earnings beats. Vertex's $10B acquisition of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals adds significant growth potential in endocrinology treatments.
The outlook remains positive with 85.7% analyst buy ratings and $538 consensus target offering 11.6% upside. Key risks include integration challenges from the Crinetics acquisition and competitive pressures in biopharmaceutical markets. Strong cash flow generation and profitability support continued growth despite recent volatility.
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 →Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company that discovers and develops small-molecule drugs for the treatment of serious diseases. Its key drugs are Kalydeco, Orkambi, Symdeko, and Trikafta/Kaftrio for cystic fibrosis, where Vertex therapies remain the standard of care globally. In addition to its focus on cystic fibrosis, Vertex is diversifying its pipeline through gene-editing therapies such as CTX001 for beta-thalassemia and sickle-cell disease, small-molecule inhibitors targeting acute and chronic pain using non-opioid treatments, and small-molecule inhibitors of APOL1-mediated kidney diseases. Vertex is also investigating cell therapies to deliver a potential functional cure for type 1 diabetes.
Read more on VRTX →