COMPARE · Data as of August 27, 2026
SBH vs ULTA
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. SBH scored 62.4, ULTA scored 69.6 — ULTA leads.
Compare another set
SBH
Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.
62.4
$16.42 · $1.5B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
7.2
ULTA leads
ULTA
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
69.6
$543.19 · $23.4B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestSBH8.6x
- Fastest growthULTA+11.3%
- Strongest balance sheetULTA0.89
- Highest qualityULTA84 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueSBH-60%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
SBH
stronger →← stronger
ULTA
73
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
84
44
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
83
75
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
48
ULTA is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
SBH
ULTA
$241mC
FCF
$1.1bC+
+1.1%C
Rev
+11.3%B
1.74C+
D/E
0.89B
8.6xA
P/E
20.1xB
0.72A-
PEG
1.81C+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
SBH
ULTA
60% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
5% above
~-16%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~8%/yr
+135%
1-yr DCF upside
-13%
+152%
5-yr DCF upside
-5%
+179%
10-yr DCF upside
+10%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
SBH
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
ULTA
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
The companies
SBHSally Beauty Holdings, Inc.
Why now
Specialty Retail · market cap $1.5b. 8% off the 52-week high of $17.92. PEG 0.72 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 5 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $17.00 (implying +4% upside).
Moat
ROE 22% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 125% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Value re-rating depends on a catalyst. Without one — analyst day, divestiture, margin recovery, capital return — the stock can stay cheap on these multiples for years.
ULTAUlta Beauty, Inc.
Why now
Specialty Retail · market cap $23.4b. Down 24% 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 +15% 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.
Where SBH and ULTA diverge
On the headline score the gap is 7.2 points in favor of ULTA. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- GrowthSBH 44.2 · ULTA 83.3ULTA +39.1
- ValueSBH 74.8 · ULTA 48.1SBH +26.7
- QualitySBH 73.5 · ULTA 84.1ULTA +10.6
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.