COMPARE · Reviewed July 28, 2026
CARG vs ULTA
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CARG scored 83.6, ULTA scored 75.2 — CARG leads.
Compare another set
CARG
CarGurus, Inc.
83.6
$36.42 · $3.3B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
8.4
CARG leads
ULTA
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
75.2
$501.52 · $21.6B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
CARG
stronger →← stronger
ULTA
87
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
84
86
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
86
78
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
59
CARG is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CARG
ULTA
$293mC
FCF
$1.1bC+
+14.0%B+
Rev
+11.3%B
0.79B
D/E
0.89B
19.2xB+
P/E
18.8xB+
1.06B+
PEG
1.67C+
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
CARG
ULTA
34% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
1% below
~0%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~7%/yr
+29%
1-yr DCF upside
-8%
+52%
5-yr DCF upside
+1%
+91%
10-yr DCF upside
+17%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CARG
Why this score
- Buying back stock
ULTA
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
The companies
CARGCarGurus, Inc.
Why now
Auto & Truck Dealerships · market cap $3.3b. 8% off the 52-week high of $39.42. Revenue growing +14%, comfortably above the S&P median. 13 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $37.77 (implying +4% upside).
Moat
Net margin 16% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 63% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 196% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
ULTAUlta Beauty, Inc.
Why now
Specialty Retail · market cap $21.6b. Down 30% from 52-week high of $714.97 — deep drawdown territory. Revenue growing +11%, comfortably above the S&P median. 24 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $623.42 (implying +24% upside).
Moat
ROE 46% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 95% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.