Ulta Beauty Inc vs Western Union Co — how do they compare? Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $542.13 (market cap $23.59B), while Western Union Co trades at $7.05 (market cap $2.19B). The key difference: Ulta Beauty Inc is far larger — about 10.8× Western Union Co's market cap, and Western Union Co pays a 13.37% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ULTA | WU | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $23.59B | $2.19B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Technology |
52-Week High | $706.82 | $10.28 |
52-Week Low | $450.75 | $6.36 |
Enterprise Value | $25.67B | $2.10B |
Dividend Yield | — | 13.37% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ULTA stock trades at $565.15, up 4.89% in the last session, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages and strong support at $547. The company reported Q1 2026 EPS of $7.74, beating estimates, but faces margin compression with net income margin declining to 10.63% in 2025. Recent news highlights the end of its Target partnership as a potential growth opportunity, per BofA analysis on July 29, 2026.
The stock offers upside to the consensus price target of $618.29, with 57% of analysts rating it a buy, but risks include competitive pressures and volatile cash flows, with net cash flow turning negative in 2025. Investors should weigh robust ROE of 47.45% against elevated P/B of 9.41 and RSI levels suggesting overbought conditions.
Western Union (WU) trades at $7.08, down 1.12% today, with a bearish technical signal and recent earnings misses in Q1 and Q2 2026. Valuation ratios appear attractive with a P/E of 5.71 and P/S of 0.56, but revenue has declined from $4.5B in 2022 to $4.05B in 2025. The company maintains a strong dividend yield, paying $0.24 quarterly, and recently launched Stablecard with Rain to expand digital services.
The outlook is cautious due to earnings volatility and competitive pressures in money transfers. Opportunities include cost management and digital growth, but risks from declining retail performance and high debt levels persist. Analyst consensus is mixed with a $7.14 price target, reflecting uncertainty over turnaround efforts.
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 →Western Union provides domestic and international money transfers through its global network of about 500,000 outside agents. It is the largest money transfer company in the world and one of only a few companies with a truly global agent network.
Read more on WU →