Compare Ulta Beauty Inc (ULTA) vs Wendys Co (WEN) Price & Performance
Price performance (Past 24H)
Key statistics
Key statistics
Ulta Beauty Inc vs Wendys Co — how do they compare? Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $489.47 (market cap $20.98B), while Wendys Co trades at $7.63 (market cap $1.50B). The key difference: Ulta Beauty Inc is far larger — about 14× Wendys Co's market cap, and Wendys Co pays a 7.13% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ULTA | WEN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $20.98B | $1.50B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $706.82 | $11.33 |
52-Week Low | $450.75 | $6.17 |
Enterprise Value | $23.06B | $5.31B |
Dividend Yield | — | 7.13% |
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Aura AI Summary
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.
Wendy's (WEN) trades at $7.63, down 1.68% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and recent meme stock momentum. The company shows consistent earnings beats but faces margin pressure, with net income declining from $204M in 2023 to $165M in 2025. Valuation metrics appear attractive with a P/E of 10.2 and P/S of 0.69, while analyst consensus is mixed with a $7.96 price target.
The stock presents a value opportunity with solid dividends and low valuation, but investors face risks from declining profitability, high debt levels, and competitive pressures. Near-term catalysts include Q2 2026 earnings on August 7 and ongoing Project Fresh initiatives, though weak traffic and cost inflation remain headwinds for sustained growth.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
About Ulta Beauty Inc
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 →About Wendys Co
The Wendy's Company is the second-largest burger quick-service restaurant, or QSR, chain in the United States by systemwide sales, with $11.1 billion in 2021, narrowly edging Burger King ($10.3 billion) and clocking in well behind wide-moat McDonald's ($45.7 billion). After divestitures of Tim Hortons (2006) and Arby's (2011), the firm manages just the burger banner, generating sales across a footprint that spans almost 7,000 total units in 30 countries. Wendy's generates revenue from the sale of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and fries throughout its company-owned footprint, through franchise royalty and marketing fund payments remitted by its franchisees, which account for 94% of stores, and through franchise flipping and advisory fees.
Read more on WEN →
