Compare Ulta Beauty Inc (ULTA) vs Western Union Co (WU) Price & Performance
Price performance (Past 24H)
Key statistics
Key statistics
Ulta Beauty Inc vs Western Union Co — how do they compare? Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $489.47 (market cap $20.98B), while Western Union Co trades at $8.9 (market cap $2.71B). The key difference: Ulta Beauty Inc is far larger — about 7.7× Western Union Co's market cap, and Western Union Co pays a 10.85% dividend while Ulta Beauty Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ULTA | WU | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $20.98B | $2.71B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Technology |
52-Week High | $706.82 | $10.28 |
52-Week Low | $450.75 | $7.04 |
Enterprise Value | $23.06B | $2.40B |
Dividend Yield | — | 10.85% |
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.
Western Union (WU) trades at $8.46, down 4.73% on the day, with a bullish technical signal but mixed sentiment. The stock shows attractive valuation metrics with a P/E of 6.37 and P/S of 0.69, supported by strong profitability including a 10.88% net margin and 47.66% ROE. Recent developments include a partnership with Total Wireless and pending acquisition of Intermex, while Q1 2026 earnings missed expectations. Cash flow trends show volatility, with 2025 net cash flow negative $469.2 million.
Outlook remains cautious due to declining revenue trends and mixed analyst ratings, with 58% hold recommendations. The 11% dividend yield offers income appeal, but competitive pressures and execution risks on digital transformation pose challenges. Near-term catalyst is Q2 2026 results on July 30, 2026, with consensus EPS estimate of $0.43.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
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 Western Union Co
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 →
