Ulta Beauty Inc vs Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund — how do they compare? Ulta Beauty Inc trades at $536.81 (market cap $23.27B), while Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund trades at $52.74. The key difference: Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund is trading nearer its 52-week high, Ulta Beauty Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ULTA | XLB | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $23.27B | — |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | — |
52-Week High | $706.82 | $53.62 |
52-Week Low | $450.75 | $42.23 |
Enterprise Value | $25.35B | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
ULTA Beauty trades at $548.66, down 2.92% on the day, with strong technical momentum indicated by bullish moving averages and key support at $542. Fundamentally, the company maintains robust profitability with 39.33% gross margins and 47.45% ROE, though recent earnings showed mixed results with a Q4 miss. Revenue growth has been consistent, reaching $11.3B in 2025, while analyst sentiment remains positive with 56.53% buy ratings.
The outlook for ULTA remains favorable with a consensus price target of $618.29 offering 12.7% upside potential. Key opportunities include omnichannel expansion and digital growth initiatives, while risks involve margin pressure from rising costs and competitive retail landscape. Institutional ownership trends show continued confidence with recent position increases by major funds.
XLB trades at $53.14, showing minimal daily movement with a slight decline of 0.08%. Technical indicators signal a bullish trend with strong moving average support and oscillators showing mixed signals. The materials sector ETF benefits from infrastructure spending and AI-related demand, though recent articles suggest the cyclical recovery may be largely priced in. Dividend payments are scheduled for 2026.
The outlook for XLB remains positive due to sector tailwinds from infrastructure and manufacturing trends, though valuation concerns exist after recent gains. Key risks include cyclical sector exposure and potential overvaluation. Analyst sentiment appears cautiously optimistic with technical strength supporting near-term momentum.
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 →In seeking to track the performance of the index, the fund employs a replication strategy. It generally invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index. The index includes securities of companies from the following industries: chemicals; metals and mining; paper and forest products; containers and packaging; and construction materials. The fund is non-diversified.
Read more on XLB →