COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
FIVE vs ULTA
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. FIVE scored 73.1, ULTA scored 72.6 — FIVE leads.
Compare another set
FIVE
Five Below, Inc.
73.1
$236.31 · $13.1B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
0.5
FIVE leads
ULTA
Ulta Beauty, Inc.
72.6
$515.14 · $22.1B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestULTA19.3x
- Fastest growthFIVE+25.9%
- Strongest balance sheetFIVE0.86
- Highest qualityULTA84 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueULTA-1%
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)
FIVE
stronger →← stronger
ULTA
73
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
84
94
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
83
57
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
55
FIVE is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
FIVE
ULTA
$505mC+
FCF
$1.1bC+
+25.9%A-
Rev
+11.3%B
0.86B
D/E
0.89B
29.8xC+
P/E
19.3xB
0.98B+
PEG
1.83C+
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
FIVE
ULTA
55% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
1% below
~17%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~7%/yr
-39%
1-yr DCF upside
-9%
-35%
5-yr DCF upside
+1%
-29%
10-yr DCF upside
+16%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
FIVE
Why this score
- Durable high returns
ULTA
Why this score
- Buying back stock
- Durable high returns
The companies
FIVEFive Below, Inc.
Why now
Specialty Retail · market cap $13.1b. 6% off the 52-week high of $251.63. Revenue growing +26% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.98 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 21 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $269.81 (implying +14% upside).
Moat
ROE 19% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 115% 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 $22.1b. Down 28% 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 +21% 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
FIVE leads ULTA by 0.5 points (73.1 to 72.6), its sharpest advantage coming in PEG (grade B+). A contrarian could still prefer ULTA for its stronger P/E (grade B).
Our AI analyst is busy right now, so this verdict is drawn directly from the pillars, grades and DCF above.
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 FIVE and ULTA diverge
On the headline score the gap is 0.5 points in favor of FIVE. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
- QualityFIVE 72.8 · ULTA 84.1ULTA +11.3
- GrowthFIVE 94.2 · ULTA 83.3FIVE +10.9
- ValueFIVE 56.9 · ULTA 54.7level
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.